If you’re looking for tips and exercises for a healthier posture to help relieve neck pain as a new parent, you’re in the right place! Read and watch on to learn from Fertile Ground fertility, pregnancy and postnatal Osteopath, Bonnie Maplestone.
“This video is not just for parents; it is for anyone with a new baby in their lives. As an osteopath, sometimes, when I treat people’s necks, I say, “You have been spending too much time looking down and to the (insert direction).” The first question is, how did you know? The second thing is explaining the new baby, puppy, or assignment/project they are working on.
In COVID, I saw increased postural strains because people were working from home. Most people couldn’t figure this out because they had purchased an even better home setup than they had in the office: a sit-to-stand desk and an ergonomic chair. The problem is not always the ergonomics. It can be constantly repeating an activity your body is not used to. Your desk chair might be better than the last one. Still, it’s different, and your body uses various muscles. Those muscles fatigue you because they are not used to supporting you this way.
Holding a new baby is different from anything your body has done before. If you are the person who gave birth, it can come at a time when you and your body are still recovering. Your body needs time to build up the muscles required to spend hours gazing at those beautiful eyes (and let’s face it, your baby’s eyes are the best). So let’s start with good posture, then build those neck muscles evenly and learn to stretch and look after ourselves. After all, we want to look down more at the baby, right?
If you want to explore this or any of my other exercises in a full yoga video, please visit my website. I have free live streams and just about any yoga class you want pre-recorded.
If you’re a practitioner, give this exercise for mild neck pain, especially in the front of the neck, or it feels like it goes up to the ear. If the person has had neck pain and is about to have a baby, it is a preventative exercise. This exercise is also good if one shoulder on your patient sits higher than the other. Or if there is stiffness when they turn their head to one side. If they can’t move their neck or are getting pins and needles, or their pain is more than a niggle or an inconvenience, I would suggest referring them to a manual therapist who can properly diagnose the problem.”
Written and recorded by Bonnie Maplestone, fertility, pregnancy and postpartum osteopath at Fertile Ground Health Group.
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