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QUESTION:
OK...I am in bad pain that is getting worse by the day (or so it seems). I
recently posted about this d**n back pain that seems to be generated form
nursing. Many of you posted great responses to me and I so appreciate that.
I am just out of my mind in what to do. Family smile at me (women) and say
I'll be like this so long as I nurse (which in turn makes me think they
think I should stop my suffering...NEVER! I REFUSE to stop nursing!).......I
hope that isn't the case as I plan to nurse for awhile yet.......I exercise
as much as I can, I stretch everyday, take ibuprofen, DH gives awesome back
massages that help for awhile, hot baths......what am I doing wrong? Why am
I suffering so much? Women nurse all over the world and do fine, and here I
battled through hell to nurse Jules and now I can barley take the
pain........I know it's from the milk supply.....what else can I do? I may
talk to my doctor and see about massage therapy...she specializes in that as
well so.......I don't know.....I just feel like crying, today was a bad
one......I still put forth the best for Jules and never do less for her but
it is hard...........
Sorry to rant.........I am just out of my mind with this
pain.......childbirth was easier (and I had a horrid L&D)
ANSWER:
If your back pain is still this bad, I'd suggest investing in both a
visit to your doctor (to see if s/he can suggest something, or to see if
there's an underlying problem such as a hernia) AND a personal trainer,
who can make sure you are exercising and stretching effectively. (If
you've never used a personal trainer, expect to pay $30-$60/hour,
depending upon where you live, and to meet once a week. Six weeks
should be sufficient, maybe less. You can find one at your local gym or
health club.)
When you nurse, do you keep good posture? Do you sit in a good chair
(couch, whatever) with proper back support? Or do you slouch, and most
important, do you tuck your chin with your head turned, to look down at
Jule's face? My chiropractor told me not to do the 'gaze lovingly down in
baby's face for the duration of the feed' thing, because it was aggravating
my own back pain (more or less under my bra strap, and in my neck).
A visit to a chiropractor might be in order, or to a Hellerworker (sp?) to
address the underlying structural cause of the pain. You may be right, it
may simply be that your breasts are so heavy/large that it strains your
back, but you might also have a subluxation in your spine which cannot seem
to fix itself.
I get better results from my chiropractor who uses the Blair upper cervical
technique, than from those who use the Palmer technique, but YMMV and if
you're anything like me, you'll try anything necessary to get rid of the
pain.
Is the pain in your back only when you nurse? During letdown?
Is there any change if you try and lay down when you nurse?
Is the pain upper, middle or lower back?
After each one of my children -- I have gone to a chiropractor
for pain in my middle back -- but I am almost positive this was
from lifting. It has eased the pain for me.
But if it REALLY caused by nursing -- I have no idea what it is.
You've gotten good suggestions from the other posters, and I just wanted
to second the suggestion of a really good chair with lots of support and
the use of pillows (propping your arms, behind your back). Also a
footstool -- not an ottoman -- but a "nursing" stool. And a trip to the
chiropractor wouldn't be a bad idea. Something may have gotten
mis-aligned during pregnancy and/or childbirth.
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