Pregnant Wrapping
Quick Summary: Yes, you can safely continue to wear your toddler while pregnant if you have an uncomplicated pregnancy and are already accustomed to babywearing. To protect your changing body, switch to woven wrap back carries (like a Rucksack or Double Hammock carry) to distribute weight evenly and avoid putting pressure or tight knots directly across your growing abdominal bump. Always listen to your body’s cues and consult your OB-GYN or midwife.
Can I continue to wear my toddler while pregnant?
When is pregnant wrapping a good idea? Wise women know that pregnancy is not a time to add new, strenuous, physical activities to your life. However, if you are accustomed to carrying or wearing your child, a wrap will make it easier. Your hard-working pregnant self deserves that.
So YES, do yourself a favor and wrap your baby – just be sure to listen to your body’s cues!
**Use my photos and tutorials with woven wraps like the ones you see in my store. Woven wraps offer comfortable support for toddlers and are safe in back carries as well as front carries. These are different from stretchy wraps commonly found in baby stores in the US.
How does back carrying my toddler prevent pregnancy back pain?
Babywearing during pregnancy is a way to support your hard-working body as it literally builds a new human being.
During pregnancy your center of gravity shifts forward and your body compensates by pulling your shoulders back and arching your lower back. This swayback shape is exacerbated when you carry your toddler in your arms as your spinal stabilizing muscles work overtime to keep you upright. This excessive pulling forces your lower back into hyper-lordosis (an exaggerated arch), which can cause severe lumbar strain and fatigue.
Wrapping your toddler tightly around your torso in a back carry redistributes that weight evenly across your shoulders, chest, and upper back which relieves stress to susceptible muscle groups and acts as a counter-balance that can actually help correct your posture and reduce strain.
Preventing Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) and joint strain while pregnant
The hormone relaxin is produced by your pregnant body to relax pelvic ligaments in preparation for birth but which also relaxes all your other ligaments and can lead to joint strain.
Carrying a heavy toddler puts intense, unbraced pressure on lax joints. Carrying them on your hip can misalign the Sacroiliac (SI) joints and the Symphysis Pubis, leading to a painful condition known as Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) or Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP).
Switching from carrying your toddler in your arms or on your hip to wearing your toddler securely on your back can help mitigate your chances of experiencing round ligament discomfort and pelvic girdle pain. By wrapping your toddler snuggly around your torso you are distributing toddler’s weight symmetrically to help protect vulnerable pelvic joints.
What is the best baby carrier to use during pregnancy?
Pregnant babywearing with a woven wrap functions as a dynamic ergonomic support system that actively counteracts the physical strains of pregnancy. Woven wraps provide the most customized support and can even act as a pregnancy support band.
What are the benefits of babywearing while pregnant?
Pregnant back carries allow you to:
- prepare the meals that you are eating to grow your baby.
- do the nesting you want to do.
- have an easier time getting your older child to and from school or childcare.
- leave the heavy stroller in the garage!
TIP: to get the most benefit from pregnant babywearing, consider wrapping your toddler during pregnancy when you would otherwise be holding your child in your arms!
No one wants to increase the burden on pregnant mamas. This isn’t a way to make you work harder. It is a way to give your pregnant body a break by letting the wrap do the work. Pregnant wrapping serves you because it is far more comfortable than holding your baby in your arms. This is especially true as your belly grows.
I hope that wrapping will help you get to some wonderful relaxing places and will contribute to an enjoyable pregnancy!
Getting wrapped up on mommy can also help to reassure your old baby that your love is as strong as ever. That security and comfort goes a long way towards paving a gentle introduction to older siblinghood.
How do I use a Woven Wrap while pregnant?
I made this video when I was 37 weeks pregnant, and my toddler was 15 months old. First I demonstrate a Rucksack Carry (nice for when your toddler wants up and down frequently). Then I show Double Hammock Carry (comfortable for wearing your kiddo for a nap or long period of time). And I show a few different ways to tie each one off so that you can find the one that works best for you:
More ideas for pregnant wrap carries:
Back carries: Most pregnant mamas prefer back carries. You can get away with wearing your child high on your front for a while, but eventually there won’t be room for the two of them. You might as well start learning back carries now!
A back carry is most comfortable. As an added bonus it helps a pregnant mama to feel evened out, so you’re not front-heavy.
Getting child on back: You can lift your child onto your back. But if your child is old enough you can also squat down and let him or her climb up piggyback-style. Similarly, a child who is steady on his or her feet can be slid down your back to the ground when you are done wrapping. You can also use a chair or couch for your toddler to climb on and off your back. This is a nice hack for pregnant wrapping, in particular, when you’re not feeling particularly flexible yourself!
Tying around your belly: When wrapping your child, make sure you don’t tie the wrap uncomfortably across your growing bump. Some moms find it most comfortable to tie above the bump. Some find it comfortable to tie below the bump. If you are eager to “show” you will be delighted to find that either of these arrangements can accentuate your bump.
To completely avoid tying around your waist, try a carry that ties at the shoulder. Double Hammock Carry TAS (tied at shoulder) or Semi Double Hammock Carry are both supportive carries that tie at your shoulder and have nothing tied around your waist. Or try a Rucksack Carry tied Tibetan.
Wrap Club is a great place to find the tutorials you need and get community help and encouragement. This FB group is free so there’s no reason not to come over and join the fun 😄
Pregnant Wrapping Hacks for Comfort
Pregnancy is often a time of random and unpredictable discomforts. Accordingly, utilize the famous versatility of your wrap to solve any less-than-perfect sensations.
If rucksack straps pinch, try the same carry crossed in the front. Or try tying Tibetan to pull the straps inward. You can also experiment with a totally different carry.
If the cross over your breasts is uncomfortable, try rucksack straps, or make a twist in between your breasts. Or maybe a Double Hammock Carry with the broad band spread across your torso will be most comfortable.
Besides being uncomfortable, pinching could lead to plugged milk ducts, so find a way to adjust the wrap comfortably.
When is pregnant wrapping a good idea?
Pay attention to your body and follow its cues. If you are getting winded, dizzy, or tired, it’s time for a stay-at-home day. Make cuddling on the couch a priority. It is more important to find the best way to take care of everyone than it is to live up to some preconceived notion about what you ought to be able to do.
What you “ought to be able to do” is follow your body’s cues and your child’s cues. Nothing more and nothing less. Brainstorm the best way to fill everybody’s needs.
You will best help your child adjust by staying flexible and staying sane and loving.
That could mean giving up on the plan to move him to his own bed before baby is born. It could mean increasing toddler-wearing time. It could also mean introducing him to the concept of doing his own walking when you are out.
How can I use my wrap as a pregnancy and birth tool?
Your wrap can serve not only to carry your toddler, and your new baby, but many other uses as well:
- Use a woven wrap to increase your comfort during pregnancy
- to help turn a breech baby
- to help a baby become ideally positioned for the easiest birth
- to ease the pain of contractions or back labor
- to support you in the ideal squatting birth position
- to give you leverage for pushing
- as a post partum belly band to assist in recovery
I explain many ways moms use woven wraps as pregnancy and birth aids in this blog post about using wraps and rebozos in pregnancy and childbirth.