Neck and Shoulder Ache From Carrying a Baby

Nobody warns you that the aching neck and shoulders will be one of the harder parts. A newborn is lifted, carried, fed and settled dozens of times a day, almost always with your head tipped down looking at them.

Add broken sleep, which lowers pain tolerance, and it’s no surprise this is one of the most common complaints we see in new parents.

Babies are wonderful, we have 3 of them, and yes, we have all the neck pains, back pains, shoulder pains and wrist pains too…

Where it comes from

• Feeding posture. Twenty minutes to an hour, several times a day, hunched forward with the baby’s weight on your arms.
• Looking down constantly, which loads the neck muscles the same way phone use does.
• One-sided carrying. Baby on one hip, everything else in the other hand. Tender spots build up between the shoulder blades: shoulder blade pain.
• Lifting from low positions: cots, car seats, the floor, a low sofa, repeatedly.
• Poor sleep. Pain tolerance drops sharply on interrupted sleep, which is why the same ache feels worse in month two. Stress adds its own layer.
• Recovering from the birth itself, which changes how you lift and carry for weeks. After a caesarean, see heat after a C-section.

Heat, realistically

You have short windows, so use them. Fifteen minutes with the pad over your neck and shoulders while the baby naps, sitting upright and supported, lowest setting. Then a minute of the movements below.

Two safety points that matter more than usual here:

• Never with the baby. Not while feeding, not while holding them, not in a bed or on a sofa where the baby is. See heat pads and children.
• Never when you might doze off. Sleep-deprived people fall asleep unexpectedly, and that’s how burns happen. Set a timer, and unplug when you finish.

See is it safe to sleep with a heating pad on?

If you’re breastfeeding and have a tender, lumpy area in the breast, that’s a different use of warmth with its own rules: warm compresses for blocked ducts and mastitis.

Movements that fit into a day

• Chin tucks: 10, any time you’re standing waiting.
• Shoulder blade squeezes: 10, after each feed.
• Doorway chest stretch: 30 seconds, whenever you pass one.
• Side neck tilts: 15 seconds each side.

Attach them to things you already do rather than planning a session that won’t happen.

Set-up changes that help most

• Bring the baby to you, not you to the baby. Pillows under your arms while feeding, so you’re not holding the weight and leaning forward.
• Sit back, supported. A cushion behind your lower back. Feet flat, or on a low stool.
• Look with your eyes, not your whole head. You don’t need to stare down for the entire feed.
• Swap sides for carrying, and use a carrier or sling for longer periods.
• Raise the cot mattress while they’re small, and drop the side if it drops.
• Car seats: get as close as you can, bend the knees, avoid twisting with the weight out in front. Your lower back takes this badly: heat for lower back pain.

More on the neck side of this: heating pad for neck pain and stiffness, and upper back pain if you’re back at a desk as well.

See a doctor or physio if…

• Pain, numbness or tingling runs into your arm or hand. See carpal tunnel and heat.
• You have wrist or thumb pain, which is very common in new parents from the repeated lifting position. See thumb and wrist pain.
• You have pelvic, lower back or pelvic floor problems after birth. These are treatable and often go unmentioned. See pregnancy and postnatal back and pelvic pain.
• A caesarean scar feels tight, or pulls when you move, months on. See tight scar tissue and scar massage.
• A stiff neck comes with fever or headache. Go to A&E.
• It isn’t settling after a couple of weeks

And if you’re struggling with more than the aches, tell your doctor or the nurse at your baby’s check-up. Low mood after birth is common and treatable, and worth raising even when everything else is fine.

Clinically reviewed by: Nigel Chua (Hand Occupational Therapist) & Louise Yow (Physiotherapist). This article is general information, not a diagnosis. electricheatpad.com sells electric heat pads.