“Can I safely babywear with a prolapse?”
“Will I make my prolapse worse if I wear my baby?”
“I was told I can’t babywear since I have incontinence.”
The answer to all of these questions is simple- it depends. It depends on your goals, what you want to do, and ultimately how you feel after understanding the risks, benefits and alternatives to babywearing. Admittedly, I’m going to assume you know the amazing benefits of babywearing so I will focus on the risks, alternatives and considerations.
Baby Wearing Risks with a Prolapse
A few important things to note is that symptoms of prolapse do not correlate to severity. This is important because a lot of people are worried that if they feel heaviness or pressure that they are making their prolapse worse. Another important part of prolapse is the emotional connection- if you have a prolapse it doesn't mean you are broken and forever can't do things. If someone sprains or breaks their ankle, we rehab them back so they are stronger and can continue to reach their goals. It’s the same with prolapse, our goal is always to get you back to what you love, like carrying your child.
It is important to know that to-date we do not yet have research directly looking at prolapse and babywearing or even carrying a child! What we do know is that anytime someone carries or holds a baby, they alter their posture and how they walk. A lot of people with will dip into their low back and sway forward. Interestingly, these are the same changes we see at the end of pregnancy and it's suggested that it is actually the body's way of preparing for the caregiver to hold the child.
Considerations for Babywearing with a Prolapse
When it comes to carrying a baby/infant/toddler, we have the same considerations whether they are being carried or they are being worn. Interestingly though, it takes more energy to hold a baby in your arms than to wear them in a sling. Here are a few things I look at:
-Comfort: There isn't one best carrier. It's important to see what carrier the caregiver feels most supported utilizing. For some they love the comfort and support of a wrap and others feel most supported utilizing a structured carrier. My number one recommendation is to see if you have a Babywearing group that will let you loan carries to see what fits best for you and the baby. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/BWIChicagoland/)
-Breathing: It may sound like a no-brainer but it's easy to hold your breath and the gasp for air when holding a baby..others realize they can’t get a full breath and catch themselves sucking in the abdomen to babywear. Remember to continuously breathe when babywearing. We want the caregiver to be able to breathe in 360 degrees and we can use the carrier as feedback to breathe. I love the @core360belt during workouts but when babywearing you use the straps around your back and the baby weight as a reminder. First, are you breathing? Now, are you breathing into my lower abdomen, pelvic floor, back and ribs? If you find yourself struggling to breathe while babywearing, you may need to find a different carrier, practice breathing or loosen the straps (as long as baby is still secure).
-Time: If you have a background in fitness this is the same as endurance. Think of this as a couch-to-5k program for babywearing. A lot of changes happen from birth to the first six weeks and beyond. We want to slowly build up to babywearing. I love shorter walks while babywearing in the early postpartum days and building up to longer times or more walks as you heal and recover.
-Posture: Remember how we naturally change how we stand when holding a baby? Sometimes posture matters and sometimes it doesn’t...the key is to figure out if it matters for you. If you notice pain or discomfort, you can change your posture to see if it makes it easier to ease any pain or discomfort. First, stand in front of a mirror and see how you are standing while holding the baby. How do you feel? What do you see? Now, if you are swaying forward, try to pull your shoulders back so they are over your hips. If you see your low back is curved so your butt looks like it is popping out, try to tuck your butt a little to bring it down. Do you see your low back and think, “man, my pants are going to fall off because I don’t have a butt” then try to curve your low back to create a little more butt. How does changing to these positions feel? If you don’t feel any better, then they may not be right for you and that’s okay! The key is to experiment and listen to the feedback your body is giving you to figure out your needs.
-Check in Down There: Every time we inhale our pelvic floor should *gently* descend and lengthen and it should *gently* lift with every exhale. Sometimes when we add a lot of load (even an adorable little baby) we squeeze our pelvic floors or butt to try and create stability. On the flip side, we also may bulge or bear down instead of allowing our pelvic floors to gently move. It's about finding a happy medium where your pelvic floor can move with ease.
Check in as you babywear to see how you feel down there. If you are early postpartum and notice increased lochia, try to wear the baby for a little less time to see if you heal faster. If you constantly feel tension or you feel like your insides are going to fall out, please don’t hesitate to call your provider and a pelvic floor provider for a personalized consult.
-Respect: My goal is that mamas don't fear prolapse but they respect it. You can listen to your body and the signals your body is giving to make changes as you need. There isn’t one “right way” to babywear with a prolapse, the key is to figure out what is right for you.