Serious Neck/upper Back Tension from Nursing

Get yourself a cumfy chair a foot stool and a great pillow.
GET CUMFY when nursing. I used a glider chair w/ footstool and a boppie. I nursed 3 kids for 12 months and I have scholiosis, so back pain I know and making sure you bring baby to you not you to baby and support support support.

Do you use a nursing pillow? I had a boppy that was a life saver when nursing on the couch, and when nursing in the rocking chair I just used a small bolster pillow under baby's back. The pillow provides just enough lift that you aren't quite so hunched over - but I know what you are talking about, constantly craning your neck to look at that sweet little face! :)

I know several mentioned lifting your baby higher with a pillow or other solutions, but if you are like me, you just love looking at your baby and so naturally your head tilts down therefore your shoulders draw in... it's a natural position that your body gets into for that purpose and yes, very painful for your shoulders, neck and back.

Massages are great way to help start the healing process but does get pricey. Try going every other week until it's fixed. It will get fixed if you have a good massage therapist. Also, if you found a good one, he/she will be able to demonstrate stretches for maintenance purposes so it doesn't happen again. You do need to get it worked out though because most likely your shoulders and neck muscles are already "triggered" to that position and even changing your posture will not help once your muscles are in that state.

BTW - I am a licensed massage therapist and a mother of two and I went through the same thing with my first. With my second I knew to be more careful about allowing my muscles to become "triggered" from breastfeeding. Good luck and grats!

Try putting a pillow...or several, under your baby to bring the baby up to the level of your breasts. Think of bringing the baby up to you, not taking your breasts to your baby.
suep
bosombuddies.com

If you're not already, start using pillows where you need them. I'm short and I found a pillow behind my back helped move my body into a better sitting position.

I also used a boppy or a regular bed pillow under the baby to elevate him to a better position.

Switching nursing positions helped (it also helped with my sore nipples).

Stretching before and after nursing helped. So did back rubs/shoulder rubs from DH.

I had to nurse son 3 laying on my side for months. Can you do that?

It's probably your posture in general and the nursing exacerbates the situation. A physical therapist might be able to help but there is also a book called "Treat Your Own Neck" by Robin Mackenzie. There are basically 4 exercises you need to correct the problem. The book outlines them for you. It has helped me immensely!

It sounds like you're going down to the baby when you nurse, instead of bringing baby up to you. Experiment with your positioning- extra pillows, bolsters, and a nursing stool will all help you have better ergonomic positioning and cut down on the stress on your body.

I had the same problem. I actually did some physical therapy to help strengthen my upper back and work on posture. It is natural while nursing to slouch forward and look down at that precious baby. Definitely try elevating the baby with pillows/boppy so you can sit a little more upright. I also got a foam roller to lay on in the evenings when upper back was sore. This helped a lot to kind of roll along it and stretch everything out

Get a My Breast Friend pillow. I had the same problem before using the breast friend. It feels a little strange at first, but once you get used to it it makes a huge difference in your posture while nursing.

Get a boppy pillow, learn to breastfeed lying down while on your side and when baby gets bigger, the position where you are on your back but slightly veering to one side while baby is nestled in the crook of your arm/shoulder to nurse is relaxing too.

Everyone is on a learning curve with their first breastfed baby - so feel free to vent and find advice and experience from Moms who've been there!

I did habe the same thing, and actually had physical therapy for it. Insurance paid for the massages and I had some spine relief with a machine!

I am on baby #4 and indeed the back pain hits every time. There are a couple of things that will help you. First be sure to use a pillow on you lap to lay the baby on, I am really tall so I use 2 pillows. This enables me to nurse without holding the baby the whole time and relieves the tension we tend to hold in our muscles. I also lay down and nurse a lot, this helps me not only to relieve any pain I may be experiencing but it also forces me to rest.

Good luck with baby #1!

I have dealt with the same issue over the years, and have only found very temporary relief through massage (a day or two later I start feeling really tight again). I finally found relief through a chiropractor! Turns out my muscles were straining so very much because after nursing so many babies for so many years a few of my vertebrae were way out of alignment. I am still nursing my baby now, and while I do get some tightness, it's not anywhere near what it used to be. A visit to the chiro every once in a while keeps it from becoming painful, and a massage is now just a nice treat to help!

Try using a nursing pillow like a boppy or a similar brand. And try to find the best seat in the house for nursing! I have a lovely rocking chair that I thought I would sit in to nurse my babies but it tured out I was much more comfortable sitting on the lazyboy or the couch! Do you ever nurse lieing down in bed? That may be a nice rest for those muscles. Also, buy yourself a neck pillow! There are some that are simply a cylinder and some that look like a minature Boppy! :) Both are good to use, you need to lie on your back with the pillow under your neck to help the vertebra in your neck get back into that healthy curved position again. Try to sleep with the neck pillow if you can. You can use the neck pillow while you are sitting and nursing too, it is easier if you use the minni Boppy looking kind when you are sitting up. One last thing, remember to bring the baby to the breast, not the breast to the baby; in other words, don't lean forward, pull the abby in closer to your body. Best of luck to you, this WILL get easier!

I nursed all three of my boys until they were one and experienced the same neck & back pain. I got a boppy with my second and it helped a lot. With my third a friend gave me a nursing stool since I had my mom's rocker in the baby's room. I'm pretty tall but I couldn't believe how much the stool helped. It's angled and puts your legs in a good position so you can just lean back & relax. I would also sometimes use our recliner with the boppy. Good luck!

Have you tried nursing laying down? This is the only way I could be comfortable nursing my son. I do nurse sitting up occasionally, but laying down took the pressure and strain off of my neck and shoulder area. Also, make sure you are wearing a supportive nursing bra with wide straps. Boobs full of milk are heavy!! and can create a lot of strain and back problems, so a good bra is a must.

I know the feeling! My youngest is 10 months old and I nurse him laying down for about half of his feedings - I lay him on a bed and we snuggle together while he nurses. We get the closeness and I don't get the back pains. Another good position is the football hold - you wrap the baby around your side and back and cradle baby's head to the breast - you can see it hear with twins: http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/newborn_car...#

I used the football hold with my first a lot because he was a c-section and since the weight is not in your arms fully it does seem to help with the back and neck pain.