Do you stand a lot in a ‘mum hip’ pose?
Hip jutted out to the side to create the perfect little ledge for your baby or toddler to sit on?
Sound familiar?!
As mums with little ones we all do it, I know.
We're picking up, putting down, rocking, holding and carrying our kids at weird and awkward angles all day long.
When they’re tiny it doesn’t seem to matter but they quickly get bigger and heavier and the easiest thing to do is to stick out our hip to the side and let it take the weight so it frees up our opposite arm.
That is the classic ‘mum hip’.
While there may not seem to be a problem standing or moving around in this position for short periods of time, the effects will start to build up and the result will be pain in the back, hip, opposite knee and maybe other parts of the body.
Tips to avoid mum hip:-
- hold your child centred in front of you
- use your biceps to take the weight rather than your hip
- use a baby carrier as much as possible so the weight is evenly centred
- don’t arch your back, flare your ribs or tuck your bum under whilst holding/carrying your babies/toddlers
- pass them to someone else at every opportunity!
Obviously I don't have to carry round my enormous 4 year old much anymore (thank goodness!) but hopefully you get the gist of my demo pic!