Neck and Mid Back Pain From Feeding Your Newborn: Here Are Some Tips
Did you recently have a baby and are now struggling with neck tightness/pain, pain in your mid back or even headaches?
After birth we tend to spend a lot of time sitting; either nursing or feeding the baby or just soaking up some of those newborn snuggles. Babies can also be fussy sometimes so maybe you have to position yourself just the right way to get them to latch or make sure they are not getting air into the bottle however maybe this is not the best position for your body.
You should not have to struggle to position your body when you are nursing or feeding your baby so if you are I highly recommend meeting with a lactation consultant so they can help guide you.
The sitting however happens even with the easiest fed baby! and then theres all the bending over to change the baby and put them in their car seat! Some of the times these positions can contribute to tightness and stiffness which then can contribute to pain. Here are a couple of easy stretches to do to help decrease your pain.
Sidelying thoracic rotation
Lay on you side with your hips and knees together with a block or pillow in between your knees and your hips flexed to 90 degrees
place your top hand behind your head
then without letting your top knee move, rotate your mid back trying to get your top shoulder blade to the ground
do not forcefully stretch just go where your body lets you
then inhale and exhale trying to melt more into the stretch
Repeat 5 breaths on each side 2-3 times
Doorway Pec stretch
Standing in front of a doorway, with your arms on either side of the door frame
elbows are at shoulder height and fingers are facing the ceiling
take a small step forward leading with your chest until you feel a comfortable stretch in the front of your chest
hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times
chin tucks
sit up tall with feet flat
keeping your chin parallel to the ground think of pulling your head backward (so that your ears go behind your shoulders) like you are giving yourself a double chin
chin should not lift up or go down
perform 10-15 times
These are some helpful stretches to help decrease neck and back pain. However if you still have mid back or neck pain after regularly doing some of these stretches please reach out so we can see how we can further help you. You do not need to just have pain! Send us a message on social media @empowerptandwellness, send us an email at Hello@WeEmpowerPT.com or send us a text/call at 678-413-5587.
