Wearing your baby

Over the years we have discussed numerous activities and the effects of those activities on your spinal health. Some of those topics have included sitting on a wallet in your back pocket, carrying a heavy purse over one shoulder, wearing high heels, the supportiveness of a backpack and your posture at a desk.

If you've had a chance to read any of those articles then you probably already know the term "micro trauma." Micro traumas refer to the simple things that we do repetitively each day that cause wear and tear on our bodies. While they may not always sound like much, over time they can severely hamper your overall heath and well-being.

In terms of babies, there are many ways in which they can be transported. Whether it is a stroller, a car seat or a simple cradling in the arms, micro traumas are happening whether you like them or not. If you have ever dealt with a car seat, you can most likely agree that you will contort yourself in many unnatural ways to make sure your baby is secure. Lifting the car seat into the car, strapping it in, lifting it out, carrying it around and setting it down repeatedly cause you to contort yourself into awkward positions.

While the body is truly an amazing piece of machinery and these awkward positions are perfectly acceptable, the sheer number of times you repeat the process can lead to micro traumas. In the past we have discussed the result of these micro traumas in the realm of your spinal health. Since your spine is the super highway of nervous system information traveling from your brain to every organ, tissue and cell, it is vitally important that it is working properly. When micro traumas lead to a disruption of these messages from the brain, larger problems can start to rear their ugly head.

Although it is nothing new in the realm of parenting and we can see it throughout history, wearing your baby in a sling, a backpack or a chest harness can help alleviate many of the problems that the other methods only aggravate. You'll still be lifting your baby out of high chairs and car seats to place them in the sling, but you will reduce the weight by leaving the clumsy piece of plastic behind.

This method of carrying your child brings the weight of the baby closer to your own center of gravity. You won't be bending forward to push a stroller up a hill, leaning sideways to carry a car seat on one side or struggling with seatbelts in a confined space to secure your baby back in the car. This reduction in micro traumas on the body may seem inconsequential, but more and more it is proving otherwise.

For a busy parent transporting a baby all over town, this reduced workload could mean the difference between experiencing a symptom of a problem or not. Lightening the load and carrying it closer to your core will greatly reduce the wear and tear on your spine and allow those nervous system messages to proceed without disruption.

As an added bonus, researchers are documenting the importance of carrying your baby close to your body for psychological and developmental reasons. A baby spends nine months in the womb experiencing constant motion, warmth and physical contact with the mother. Separating the infant into an apparatus where the baby cannot feel, smell and touch is a stressful, alarming change of environment for the baby.

To have a health screening today, give us a call at (208) 667-7434 or visit our website at www.cdahealth.com.

Over the years we have discussed numerous activities and the effects of those activities on your spinal health. Some of those topics have included sitting on a wallet in your back pocket, carrying a heavy purse over one shoulder, wearing high heels, the supportiveness of a backpack and your posture at a desk.

If you've had a chance to read any of those articles then you probably already know the term "micro trauma." Micro traumas refer to the simple things that we do repetitively each day that cause wear and tear on our bodies. While they may not always sound like much, over time they can severely hamper your overall heath and well-being.

In terms of babies, there are many ways in which they can be transported. Whether it is a stroller, a car seat or a simple cradling in the arms, micro traumas are happening whether you like them or not. If you have ever dealt with a car seat, you can most likely agree that you will contort yourself in many unnatural ways to make sure your baby is secure. Lifting the car seat into the car, strapping it in, lifting it out, carrying it around and setting it down repeatedly cause you to contort yourself into awkward positions.

While the body is truly an amazing piece of machinery and these awkward positions are perfectly acceptable, the sheer number of times you repeat the process can lead to micro traumas. In the past we have discussed the result of these micro traumas in the realm of your spinal health. Since your spine is the super highway of nervous system information traveling from your brain to every organ, tissue and cell, it is vitally important that it is working properly. When micro traumas lead to a disruption of these messages from the brain, larger problems can start to rear their ugly head.

Although it is nothing new in the realm of parenting and we can see it throughout history, wearing your baby in a sling, a backpack or a chest harness can help alleviate many of the problems that the other methods only aggravate. You'll still be lifting your baby out of high chairs and car seats to place them in the sling, but you will reduce the weight by leaving the clumsy piece of plastic behind.

This method of carrying your child brings the weight of the baby closer to your own center of gravity. You won't be bending forward to push a stroller up a hill, leaning sideways to carry a car seat on one side or struggling with seatbelts in a confined space to secure your baby back in the car. This reduction in micro traumas on the body may seem inconsequential, but more and more it is proving otherwise.

For a busy parent transporting a baby all over town, this reduced workload could mean the difference between experiencing a symptom of a problem or not. Lightening the load and carrying it closer to your core will greatly reduce the wear and tear on your spine and allow those nervous system messages to proceed without disruption.

As an added bonus, researchers are documenting the importance of carrying your baby close to your body for psychological and developmental reasons. A baby spends nine months in the womb experiencing constant motion, warmth and physical contact with the mother. Separating the infant into an apparatus where the baby cannot feel, smell and touch is a stressful, alarming change of environment for the baby.

To have a health screening today, give us a call at (208) 667-7434 or visit our website at www.cdahealth.com.