Why you should carry your baby on your back

Baby wearing makes life easy for both mom and baby, it satisfies baby’s need to be held and comforted while freeing mom’s hands.  Because baby wearing is new to westerners there have been some rookie mistakes that may end up doing more harm than good.  Here are some things to consider before choosing how to wear your baby.

As you can imagine pregnancy is stressful to the body, especially the back and abdominal muscles.  The baby’s growth in the uterus causes mom’s abdominal muscles to stretch and most times these muscles also separate, a condition is called diastasis recti.

leaning back

The pregnancy weight can also cause mom to lean back, straining the back muscles.    Front carriers prevent abdominal muscles from healing and regaining their strength after birth, they also continue to stress the lower back muscles, its like you’re still pregnant!

This is why Africans wear their baby’s on their back.  Your abdominal muscles support your spine and play an important role in the health of the back.  During pregnancy these muscles stretch and after giving birth they are weak.  While Wearing your baby on your back you are exercising and strengthening your abdominal muscles.  It is the best way to gain back healthy posture after pregnancy and it helps strengthen your pelvic floor.  A strong pelvic floor has many benefits from preventing incontinence to increasing sexual pleasure.

There are many ways to wear your baby on your back, indigenous people all over the world have different styles (all on the back!).

A Chinese grandmother uses a traditional strapped wooden baby carrier, chair.

Baby wearing is now as much a fashion statement as it is a convenience.  In fact at the African Fashion Week in Boston models will demonstrate how to wear your baby on your back with regal, contemporary and traditional fashion in a show composed by Shafia Monroe “Midwife Gone Designer” on November 26th.  Tickets can be purchased here!

Wearing your baby on your back takes getting used to, no age is too early and the more you practice the better you will become!  Check out this tutorial video I made with my then three month old daughter.