Lifting your baby

Lifting your baby from a lying down position:

Typical way to lift

This position can put extra stress on the tendons from the thumb as they pass over the back of the wrist.

• Avoid lifting your baby with your thumbs and index fingers hooked underneath your baby’s armpits, where your fingers are on their back/head, your thumbs on their chest

• Avoid keeping your elbows away from your body.

This technique will distribute the weight through your biceps and forearms, taking the pressure off your thumbs and wrists.

1. Position your body as close to your child as possible.

2. Tighten your core and slide one hand under baby’s head and upper back and the other hand under baby’s bottom.

3. Keep your elbows close to your waist, not out to the sides. Bring your child close to your chest and use your biceps and forearms to support baby’s weight.

4. Keep your shoulders down as you lift your baby up. As you are lifting make sure not to jerk your arms or hike up your shoulders. Your baby and upper body should move as one unit, using your core strength to stand straight.

It is important to try to avoid lifting your baby with your thumbs and index fingers hooked underneath your baby’s armpits.

Bending down from the waist to pick up your baby can put pressure and stress on your back. Bending from the waist also does not activate your core and can put extra stress on your arms, hands and wrists as you lift your baby up.

This technique enables you to engage your core and pelvic floor as you lift your baby up.

1. Squat to the baby’s level and wrap your hands around your baby’s abdomen keeping your thumbs next to your index fingers to prevent extra pressure on the tendons in your wrist.

2. This position enables you to bring your body as close to your baby as possible.

3. Breath out to release tension and relax your shoulders down as you lift your baby up.

4. Use your leg and core strength with minimal arm movement.

5. Remember to alternate your arm positions. The main thing to remember is to keep your thumbs next to your index fingers. You can alternate between putting your hands on the sides of baby’s chest or place one hand under baby’s bottom and the other under baby’s head (in video).

Side note: As your baby becomes a toddler they become increasingly more active and harder to pick up, the main things to remember are to lift with your legs and core, keep your shoulders down, breath out while lifting and be creative with where you place your hands, keeping in mind to keep your thumbs next to your index fingers.

This picture was taken when my son was around 2 weeks old.

The position I am holding him in puts a lot of strain on the shoulders, wrists and neck: You can see that my shoulders are raised, my neck is bent, my elbows are out to the side putting most of the weight in my hands, wrists, neck and shoulders.

This is the most common way that you see people carry babies in the media and maybe that is because it is a beautiful position to photograph, but it is definitely not the most ergonomic way to hold your child.

Note: I am not wearing any supportive footwear which is important to cushion your joints from the extra weight that your body is in the process of losing, plus baby’s weight. (see foot changes section - coming soon).

This position will help to move the weight of the baby into your biceps and take the strain away from the hands and wrists.

1. Keeping your elbows close to your sides and thumbs next to your index fingers, relax your shoulders and keep your baby close to your shoulder supporting the head and bottom with cup shaped hands.

2. Engage your core and try not to move your arms up and down to ensure your shoulders stay relaxed and away from your ears.

   Note: I am wearing supportive footwear in this picture