I threw my back out!

Sheesh, can I *have* any more ailments. First the mastitis this week and
then this. I have never ever ever had any back problems ever in my life. I
had some back pain by the end of pregnancy when I was just so huge- it
seemed to be sore from not being able to sleep (lie down) comfortably, as
well as carrying the baby, and also I had sciatica so I kind of walked funny
and favored one leg by the end of pregnancy which didn't help, because my
right hip would go numb.

And then in general, since giving birth, I have nursed a lot lying down and
even sitting some and can't seem to get both my back AND Rachel comfortable
at the same time. I admit, my back has been hurting from sleeping at night
with Rachel, because I sleep cuddled up to her on my side. She cries if she
is not snuggled up to me and that is the only way I feel safe to sleep with
her, if on my stomach I am afraid she will snuggle to me and smother- I can
control that on my side. And finally, lugging around that heavy car seat and
struggling to get it in and out of the base in the truck/car. All this plus
giving birth and weakening my stomach muscles and not yet exercising to
strengthen my abs back.

I didn't do anything specifically, I was just reaching around and had a bad
back spasm/pain, and since then I can't bend or twist. It is not lower back,
it is actually mid-back, like if you put your hand on my belly button and
then follow my ribs around to my back, it's around where the ribs meet and
right in the middle of my spine. It scared me because for several hours I
could not move much at all. I can lie on my back and lie still and it
doesn't hurt and it doesn't hurt to press to the touch as long as you don't
move my back....I guess this is muscle pain because a hot shower/heating pad
feels good. But it scared me because ever since I have been having major
problems carrying Rachel, changing her diapers, and nursing her- ouch. I had
to take some of the 800mg Motrin I have and a percocet leftover from after
birth just to be able to get up and move this morning- I hate this. I want
to keep nursing and I don't want all this medication in my milk.

I am unsure what to do-- pain meds just prolong the problem anyway and mask
it. I hope it goes away. It feels some better....I would be devastated if it
got any worse and I wsn't able to nurse, I have been pretty stiff and sore
and haven't been able to nurse Rachel like usual. When it gets better I am
going to be VERY careful, and start doing some pilates or yoga type exercise
to stretch it out. Anyone know if muscle relaxants are safe to take while
nursing? Nursing Mother's COmpanion gives them a green light BUT does not
mention specific drug names, just says muscle relaxants are ok. Well, that
could be Soma, Zanaflex, Skelaxin, Flexeril....etc. I have Zanaflex from
migraine days. But it makes me drowsy....my dad has a back injury and says
that Skelaxin helps his back without any side effects whatsoever so I wonder
if it would be safer. I am afraid to go to the dr, thinking they will just
want to give me pain medications. I worry about it and want medicine-free
milk.....

Thankfully my husband has been helping. It really upsets me, that my back
"catches" when I reach for rachel and that it is affecting me nursing her
etc. I probably wouldn't be worried about it if this had ever happened
before but I have never had back problems, so I don't know what to expect-
will this go away and go back to normal, will this be prone to happen again,
WHAT have I done- is it a muscle, something twisted etc etc etc? Also, just
wondering how long I will hurt like this and be stiff and unable to move! I
can't really drive because I cannot twist at *all* and can't lift Rachel in
her car seat- too heavy for my back to handle right now. I feel
pathetic....I see how I could have prevented this by being more careful in
the way I keep sleeping knowing it makes it sore, and I probably should have
mentioned it to the dr before, but I just didn't want any pain meds and
didn't know what else they could do....

--
http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/gettingkidstoread

Ouch! Feel better soon. Do you have a chiropractor? I swear by
mine, and my insurance covers chiropractic visits.

A hot bath or shower may help.

Tara

A couple of ideas:

- back rub (these are great for relieving stiff muscles)
- stretching exercises. And speaking of exercises... You already know
that you should strengthen those abs! ;-) Perhaps now it's finally
time to force it into your schedule.

I second the hot bath/shower idea.

"Jill" wrote in message r.com...
All this plus
giving birth and weakening my stomach muscles and not yet exercising to
strengthen my abs back.

snip
I didn't do anything specifically, I was just reaching around and had a bad
back spasm/pain, and since then I can't bend or twist. It is not lower back,
it is actually mid-back, like if you put your hand on my belly button and
then follow my ribs around to my back, it's around where the ribs meet and
right in the middle of my spine.

You gave a good description of both the reasons why you think your
back was weaker than normal, and where the pain is, and it sounds very
much like a back problem I had when my first daughter was about ... 10
weeks, 3 months-ish (can't remember exactly). My friends and I
decided it was a combination of the side-lying nursing tweaking my
back a little at a time (five+ times a day), plus the carseat issues,
plus, because of the location of the pain, we thought the epidural
insertion point might have been part of it. There's no mark anymore
(though there was for a long time!), so I can't say exactly, but it
seems to me that where they placed my epidural was just about a half
inch lower than my bellybutton if you made a circle, and it seemed the
pain was mid-back rather than lower. It's awful, I remember.


I am unsure what to do-- pain meds just prolong the problem anyway and mask
it. I hope it goes away. It feels some better....I would be devastated if it
got any worse and I wsn't able to nurse, I have been pretty stiff and sore
and haven't been able to nurse Rachel like usual. When it gets better I am
going to be VERY careful, and start doing some pilates or yoga type exercise
to stretch it out. Anyone know if muscle relaxants are safe to take while
nursing? Nursing Mother's COmpanion gives them a green light BUT does not
mention specific drug names, just says muscle relaxants are ok. Well, that
could be Soma, Zanaflex, Skelaxin, Flexeril....etc. I have Zanaflex from
migraine days. But it makes me drowsy....my dad has a back injury and says
that Skelaxin helps his back without any side effects whatsoever so I wonder
if it would be safer. I am afraid to go to the dr, thinking they will just
want to give me pain medications. I worry about it and want medicine-free
milk.....



I don't know much about medications, but I'd seen a massotherapist
while pregnant, and he fixed this problem for me, too. I'm sure
leftover percocet and ibuprofen were all I took. And adjusting the
way I nursed seemed to help it not get that bad again.

Good Luck!

Tina.

"Jill" wrote in message
.com...
mentioned it to the dr before, but I just didn't want any pain meds and
didn't know what else they could do....


I swear by my chiropractor. I haven't taken pain meds of any kind (even
tylenol) in more than 5 years (since I started seeing a chiropractor
regularly again). I've thrown my back or neck out many times and he's always
been able to fix it Hope you get to feeling better soon!

Man does that suck or what?! I've thrown mine out twice and the last time it
was so bad, I couldn't move for 2 days!! When it happened to me, I wasn't
doing anything major either, washing Noah's hair and bending over the tub.

Take it easy and REST!!

Kari

I know that I had so many new aches and pains after having my first baby.
Particularly my neck and shoulders. I figured it was from all the new
movements I was making - holding her to feed her, just to carry her around,
diaper changing, etc...Caring for a baby is more physical then you might
think.

One thing, I will never understand - lugging a baby around in a carseat. I
much prefer a carrier/sling/Bjorn/whatever. My Bjorn has never given me
backache either.

"Sophie" wrote in message
...

One thing, I will never understand - lugging a baby around in a carseat.
I
much prefer a carrier/sling/Bjorn/whatever. My Bjorn has never given me
backache either.



I don't get that at all either. Even as newborns, those carriers are heavy!!
I think the only time I did use it as such, was when I took them into
Walmart or someplace to set on the cart. I could never carry that thing
around though!!

Kari

firedancer623 wrote:

"Sophie" wrote in message
...


One thing, I will never understand - lugging a baby around in a carseat.

I

much prefer a carrier/sling/Bjorn/whatever. My Bjorn has never given me
backache either.




I don't get that at all either. Even as newborns, those carriers are heavy!!
I think the only time I did use it as such, was when I took them into
Walmart or someplace to set on the cart. I could never carry that thing
around though!!

What don't you two get about it? The fact that anyone lugs the babies
around in those things at all? Well, I plan to lug mine around, but
only from the car to the house and vice versa, and to put the seat back
and forth between the car and the stroller. That's my limit. ;-) The
car seat is heavy by itself. I'm afraid of what it will be like with a
baby in it! I imagine that this is all *anyone* does with a car seat,
unless they are using it for weight training.

A little car seat humour: It took DH and I a good 15 minutes, at least,
to find the instruction manual for our car seat, which the manufacturer
had placed in a little pouch attached to the back of the seat. We
looked all through the box, all through the papers that were in the box,
and we even tried looking online (peg perego's website sucks, by the
way), sigh... ;-)

"Vicky Bilaniuk" wrote in message
. ..
firedancer623 wrote:

"Sophie" wrote in message
...


One thing, I will never understand - lugging a baby around in a carseat.

I

much prefer a carrier/sling/Bjorn/whatever. My Bjorn has never given me
backache either.




I don't get that at all either. Even as newborns, those carriers are
heavy!!
I think the only time I did use it as such, was when I took them into
Walmart or someplace to set on the cart. I could never carry that thing
around though!!

What don't you two get about it? The fact that anyone lugs the babies
around in those things at all?

The people I see carrying them around stores mostly. I cannot see how that
is easier than just taking the baby out of it, and using a sling, bjorn,
etc.

Well, I plan to lug mine around, but
only from the car to the house and vice versa, and to put the seat back
and forth between the car and the stroller. That's my limit. ;-)

Oh yeah, that's fine. We did it to and from once in awhile. Mostly if the
baby was sleeping but most of the time I would take him out of it and leave
the seat right in the car.