Best sling for large-breasted mum with back pain?

[missuswife]

My dd is two months old and weights 12 lbs. She is happy in the Baby Bjorn but every time I wear it my back and legs hurt the next day. I am 5'7", size 16 and have huge boobs (36K). I'd like to be able to breastfeed my dd in the sling.

I heard the Baby K'tan is good for all the above. Has anyone tried it? Can anyone recommend a good sling for me?

Also I have tried a ring sling and it did not work for us.

This is a soldier's suggestion, I hope you don't mind me being blunt.

A different sling probably wont help too much. It's not the weight, it's where you're carrying it. You're carrying all the weight at the front (baby/boobs). The muscles that hurt are the ones that keep you leaning back/upright.

Buy/acquire a cheap backpack with padded straps, and then put 6kg (up this as your baby grows) of weight it in (evenly distributed) Put it on over the baby carrier, and tighten it up so it doesn't swing about. You will then be carrying roughly equal weight front and back (I've slightly over-egged the weight of the baby as I'm not sure what your boobs weigh), and whilst your legs will work a little harder when out on a walk, your postural muscles will not be under permanent tension.

This will work and the pain will go. The first couple of days you will know you're carrying extra weight, but your body will get stronger to compensate.

Bravo Sir. Excellent idea I think.

Or get a buggy!

As an aside, if reliant on shank's pony to get to and from the shops, it can be a good idea to make your backpack weight up with tap water in disposable/reused bottles. When you get to the supermarket drink some water and throw the rest away, and fill up with shopping. This will let you carry far more shopping than with carrier bags alone.

Thank you for the suggestion ClearlyDad. I get what you're saying. I have been thinking that an African-style sling worn across the lower back might be more comfortable for just that reason, except I would feel weird wearing my dd on my back where I can't see her.

Your suggestion would probably work but it would be inconvenient to carry that extra weight around for no reason (besides comfort.) I also have to carry my handbag too. I might have to give in and stick to the pram, as dd will only continue to get heavier.

Mmm, but in addition the Bjorn just doesn't distribute weight well. It tends towards dangling the baby from your shoulders.

Personally (but I'm only an E cup) I tend to use a stretchy wrap until they get to 4/5 months (you can spread out the fabric over your shoulders to ease the pressure, and if it's tied properly (with baby high enough) then much of the weight is transferred to your hips). and then switch to a mei tai (to give more structure).

In my defense, I don't have boobs, which seem to be a major factor... and I have spent many years carrying extra weight round "for the sake of it" (or at least that was always my impression of why our PTI asked us to do anything!)

Kari-me sling brilliant for boobs and ok for back pain.

Why a sling at all if you are in pain? You dont have to wear your baby in a sling just because it is fashionable if your body is hurting! Use a pushchair!

Baby bjorn's are the devil's own nightmare for back pain I think. I had one with DS and ended up ditching it for a pushchair after about three weeks.

I carried DD full time however because I used a moby wrap and an ergo (which I still use periodically in fact - she's 3).

I too have reasonably substantial boobage and suffer from lower back pain. No probs at all with these slings.

I must have missed the post where the OP said she was a slave to fashion . I wore my babies in slings (a) because DC1 hated prams/pushchairs with a passion (and he could summon up a lot of passion) until he was a toddler and (b) it was much much much much much much easier on the tube, train and buses (and navigating around shops and cafes).

The Bjorn is notorious for causing back pain. If someone uses a thin teatowel to take baking trays out of the oven and burns themselves would you suggest giving up on cooking ("you don't have to cook just because the Great British Bake-Off has made it fashionable", perhaps?) and eating out instead, or replacing the teatowel with an oven glove that does the job properly?

Not sure you can compare using a pram for your baby to buying ready meals, dont be daft!

Not sure you can dismiss all slings on the basis that one particular brand that is almost universally acknowledged to be crap and cause back pain is... well, crap and causes back pain, don't be daft!

(Not that I mentioned ready meals, as it happens)

I've heard that about the bob, sadly after I bought it and too late to return it.

Seems like carrying the weight on my hips would be more comfortable. Can anyone provide specific links/brand & model info for the various suggestions?

Trust me, am anything but fashionable. Just want my hands free to get things done.

Is there a sling library in your area? They would be able to let you try different types. There might also be a babywearing consultant who could give you a tutorial.

If these aren't options you can hire slings from Slumberoo online.

Put the BB on ebay!

I have the Closer wrap sling and it seems to distribute weight well, the Wrapsody also worked. I also have big boobs and a terrible back! Tho these slings were good for back pain may now give up due to knee pain as haven't shifted that pregnancy weight and baby is only getting bigger!

Put the BB in the bin more like! You want a carrier that hold the baby underneath from knee to knee, and that spreads the weight between your hips and the strong muscles on your shoulders. Don't bother with forward facing carries either, they mess with your centre of gravity

Buckle brands worth looking at: Connecta, Ergo, Manduca, Beco

Same shape but ties not buckles, look for a mei tai (Palm and Pond are cheap but small so won't last long)

Or look at a woven wrap sling - ultimate adjustability and various carries so you can pick one that suits you.

Wtf is the idea of carrying a whole load of extra weight?! Just get it distributed properly in a product that actually does the job

Yep I thought that was pretty strange. Because obviously the thing you want to do when you're carting a baby and all it's associated weight around is to carry a load more unnecessary weight.

Or you could bin the baby bjorn and get one that works. I'm starting to think that new parents should get a health advisory notice about the bloody things.

If you want something that sits on your hips, get an ergo.

I had to get an ergo at this stage enormous baby outgrew bb and the relief on my back was incredible. He goes in it for back carries now and is still comfy.

It's not that they out grow the baby bjorn types, it's that those type of carrier aren't fit for purpose unfortunately the stockists won't listen, the recent webchat with Mothercare proved that

I wouldn't get an Ergo because you'll need to use the infant insert for a while longer yet, and 1) it is warm in hot weather and 2) there is a stage where the baby is too small for the carrier without insert and too big for it without that is annoying.

I second the suggestion above to go to a sling library or meet and try some things to see what is comfortable. You can put your postcode in here to find what is local to you: www.babywearing.co.uk/localsupport/ Different shaped people suit different things (so even if someone says 'I have big boobs and used X' they may have a longer back than you, or a shorter one, or a bigger baby, etc). You don't have to use a carrier with a waistband to spread weight better....if I want to carry my nearly 4 year old or my 5 year old the comfiest thing for me (not necessarily for everyone) is a woven wrap, which doesn't have any kind of structured waist. A good sling will hold your baby very close to you, so that their centre of gravity is very close to yours. The Bjorn holds the baby slightly away from you resulting in upper back pain for many people using it. A stretchy wrap or good-quality mei tai type carrier would not have that problem.

ClearlyDad - I get what you're trying to achieve with the weight thing, but you can achieve more by making sure the sling works to hold the baby's weight in the correct way. I wouldn't recommend that someone 2 months post natal carry around a significant amount of extra weight....they are likely to still have their joints affected by the hormone relaxin (especially if breastfeeding) which will make them more prone to injury.

Yeah, as I said, my focus was on solving the problem... Interestingly, for a large, broad shouldered, boxing dad... baby bjorn carriers seem just right!

Ergo, a mei tai or moby wrap.i all foind good and i have big boobs.

You.might get an ergo.baby insert cheap on ebay :)