How to Hold a Baby in Your Arms
This is the first part in the Postpartum Pain Clinic, and consists of several parts devoted to the treatment of pain and pain that occurs with the care of newborns and babies.
New parenting is often associated with a certain amount of pain. Some are inevitable – recovering from childbirth and breastfeeding injuries takes time. But even if you haven’t given birth to a baby and are not breastfeeding, there will still be a lot of pain! My own husband suffered from severe wrist and back pain after the birth of our first son – subtleties such as “alignment” and “knee bending” are usually forgotten in the fog of war that was born for new parents. But over time, uncomfortable holding of a baby in your arms can lead to serious problems with the neck, back and wrists.
A fairly common problem in young parents is De Quervain’s tenosynovitis , or pain and inflammation on the side of the thumb of the wrist. My own physician described it to me as “housewife’s thumb,” a term that comes from the millions of repetitive, non-ergonomic tasks that caregivers perform throughout the day.
I spoke with Stephanie Leaf, a postpartum physical therapist and director of New Leaf Physical Therapy , for the best advice on preventing and treating pain associated with newborn care.
Do not do this:
When holding or rocking your baby, do not bend your arms or fingers, bending your wrist at an acute angle, as this compresses the nerves in the thumb and wrist. Repetitive pressure in this area can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. And don’t push your hip out to the side, as the hip, back, and neck don’t match, ”says Leaf.
Make:
What Leaf says you should do: Stand your hips even and your pelvis in line with your body. Keep your arms open and flat to support the baby, but use the strength of your whole body – don’t just squeeze your arms and wrists around the baby and pull him towards you.
Rachel Foley, a pediatric occupational therapist , writes for CanDoKiddo , suggests thinking of your hands like a bulldozer, not a forklift – keep your thumbs away from your hands and lift them up with your hands and fingers. on either side of her armpits; instead, keep your palms and thumbs straight and pull it out from under the mascara and back.
Another not-so-great thing about early parenting: our phones, which can be a lifeline for support and communication, are mostly operated by our thumbs. So intrusive scrolling can make wrist and thumb problems worse. For a long time when I had a newborn, I tried to limit my phone use by switching to the desktop as often as possible and using my fingers instead of my thumb to scroll.
Now, as always when we talk about health problems, if it’s bad, talk to your doctor. She may recommend ice, splints, anti-inflammatories, cortisone shots, or, in the worst case, surgery. And, of course, relaxation – as if it were possible if you have a baby.
Are there other pains associated with a newborn? Stay tuned for updates to our posts on ergonomic handling of your baby.