Why Can’t I Raise My Arms After Holding My Baby? 3 Baby-Holding Postures to Adjust
Can’t lift your arms after holding your baby? Picking your baby up from the crib, holding your baby in the same position while feeding, or lifting your baby high to play together — these moments allow moms and dads to enjoy precious time with their little one. But after a while, you may notice arm discomfort, soreness, tightness, or even numbness after holding baby. Is it because of an incorrect baby-holding posture? This time, GENNIE’S explains 3 possible reasons why parents may find it hard to lift their arms after holding baby, plus 4 helpful tips, so moms and dads can understand how to hold baby more comfortably and adjust in time when discomfort appears. Let’s take a look.
Table of Contents (Click to Read Each Section)
- Why Can’t I Lift My Arms After Holding Baby? Understand from 3 Incorrect Postures▼
- What to Do About Arm Discomfort from Holding Baby? 4 Helpful Tips▼
- Recommended Baby Care Product: GENNIE’S Air-Cushion Baby Carrier with 20mm Thickened Shoulder Straps for Better Weight Distribution▼
Why Can’t I Lift My Arms After Holding Baby? Understand from 3 Incorrect Postures
When caring for a baby, moms and dads often focus all their attention on the little one. Once the baby cries, they immediately pick the baby up to soothe them, or while watching the baby’s cute expressions, they may forget that they have been holding a bottle for a long time until the arm gradually feels numb... Do these scenarios feel familiar? In fact, difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby is often related to maintaining an improper posture for long periods during baby care. Next, GENNIE’S has organized 3 incorrect postures. Moms and dads can check whether their baby-holding posture needs adjustment!
1. Holding Baby with One Arm, Causing Sore, Tight, or Numb Arms
Difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby is often related to the following reasons:
- Keeping the same posture for a long time may make circulation less smooth, causing metabolic byproducts to remain in the muscles and making the muscles feel sore.
- Without using baby care products to help distribute the baby’s weight, the force may become concentrated in one area of the arm or shoulder. When the muscles stay overly contracted without relaxing, it may place pressure on the arm nerves and cause numbness, similar to how many people feel numb hands after sleeping on their stomach.
- When there is no support under the arm, such as feeding with the elbow suspended, the arm must support the baby’s weight for a long time, which may lead to muscle fatigue, arm discomfort, and difficulty lifting the arm.
When caring for baby, moms and dads often hold the baby with one arm while preparing formula with the other, as if they can do everything at once. However, if the above actions are done with one arm, it is easier to experience difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby or arm soreness. Actually, freeing both hands can be simple. Using a baby carrier can make baby care more effortless. As shown in the video, here are the very simple wearing steps:
- Step 1. Secure the Velcro of the baby seat around the waist and fasten the safety buckle.
- Step 2. Let baby sit in the seat cushion, with baby’s hips fitting closely to the cushion and forming a “W” shape.
- Step 3. Put both arms through the thickened shoulder straps and pull upward, then fasten the safety buckle to keep it secure and less likely to slip.
2. Playing Airplane with Baby, Lifting Above Shoulder Level with Effort
Why might lifting baby high to play airplane lead to arm discomfort or difficulty lifting the arms afterward? GENNIE’S has prepared an illustration of arm muscles and bones to help moms and dads understand the reason:
Q: Why can’t I lift my arms after holding baby?
A: From the image above, we can see that the “rotator cuff,” which connects the scapula and humerus, is surrounded by tendons that work like springs. These allow us to lift, raise, shrug, press downward, stretch, and bring the arms inward. Because of the rotator cuff, our bodies do not feel stiff when holding baby. However, if the movement is too fast or the range is too large, the rotator cuff tendons may become strained or irritated, making it harder to hold baby as usual. Therefore, difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby is closely related to lifting baby above shoulder level while playing.
Further Reading: Why Does Holding Baby Cause Shoulder Discomfort? Understand 3 Postures and 4 Methods at Once.
3. Shrugging While Holding Baby, Leading to Shoulder Soreness
After welcoming a beloved little one, many moms and dads do not want to miss a single expression or sound from their baby, so they often want to look closely at the baby’s adorable face. However, it is important to note that when moms and dads lean their center of gravity forward and shrug their shoulders to get closer to baby, maintaining a hunched posture for a long time may increase the chance of difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby. This is because prolonged hunching may affect the following two areas:
- The shoulders are suspended above the spine by the trapezius muscle below and the levator scapulae above. When shrugging, the trapezius muscle must exert force. According to Careonline, when the trapezius muscle is tight or strained, shoulder range of motion may become limited, making it harder to lift the arms after holding baby.
- When the pectoral muscles do not get enough stretching, they may gradually tighten and weaken. Once the pectoral muscles that support the breasts are affected, it may not only influence breast shape but also make moms feel more effortful when raising their arms, or even make it harder to lift the arms after holding baby. Therefore, to help reduce arm discomfort from holding baby, it is recommended to regularly wear a sports nursing bra with wider coverage to support the breasts while doing chest muscle strengthening exercises.
Further Reading: How to Choose a Sports Nursing Bra? 6 Smart Tips!
What to Do About Arm Discomfort from Holding Baby? 4 Helpful Tips
The above content explains that difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby may be related to the habit of holding baby with one arm while doing other household tasks with the other, which can cause uneven force on both hands and lead to soreness or numbness. It may also be related to lifting baby above shoulder level, causing the shoulders to suddenly bear greater tension, which may strain the tendons around the rotator cuff. In addition, habitual shrugging and hunching while holding baby may also cause arm discomfort. Moms and dads with the above habits do not need to worry too much. GENNIE’S will next introduce 4 ways to help ease arm discomfort from holding baby. Through shoulder stretches, arm muscle massage, and adjusting where the body applies force while holding baby, these tips may help improve difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby. Let’s take a look.
1. Stretch and Relax the Rotator Cuff
Arm discomfort from holding baby, or often feeling stiff in the shoulders? As mentioned above, the rotator cuff tendons are like the springs of the shoulders, allowing us to lift, extend, and swing the arms. If the rotator cuff feels stiff, these movements may feel restricted. According to LINE TODAY Sports, simple stretching exercises can help improve shoulder flexibility and keep the body moving more comfortably. You only need a towel and a stable chair. Follow the steps below:
- Step 1. Hold both ends of a towel with both hands, place it forward at shoulder height, bend the elbows, and keep the towel close to the collarbone.
- Step 2. Straighten both arms and push forward, hold for 5 to 10 seconds, then return to the Step 1 position.
- Step 3. Repeat Step 1 to Step 2 for 10 times.
The method above stretches the towel forward. The following movement stretches the towel upward. Here are the steps:
- Step 1. Hold both ends of a towel with both hands, place it between the thighs, and bend the elbows.
- Step 2. Straighten both arms and push upward, lift to the highest point within your current ability, hold for 5 to 10 seconds, then return to the Step 1 position.
- Step 3. Repeat Step 1 to Step 2 for 10 times.
2. Massage the Wrist Clockwise
The human arm is made up of bundles of muscle fibers, which are generally relatively small and limited in the weight they can bear. Therefore, feeling sore after holding baby for long periods is common. It is recommended that moms and dads keep the arm and wrist in a straight line when holding baby, avoiding an angle between the arm and wrist, especially a 90° angle. Hand discomfort while holding baby is often related to the carpal tunnel. Wrist flexibility is connected to nerves, muscles, and tendons. These nerves and muscles pass through the wrist through a passage called the carpal tunnel. If moms and dads hold baby with the wrist kept at an unnatural angle for a long time, it may place pressure on the nerves and muscles in the carpal tunnel, causing soreness, numbness, and discomfort. It is recommended that moms and dads gently massage the area where the wrist meets the arm in a clockwise direction to help relax this frequently used and stiff area, making the wrist feel more comfortable.
Further Reading: 4 Tips to Help Improve Postpartum Hand Weakness.
3. Use the Shoulder Joint, Spine, and Arms to Support Baby
As mentioned above, using smaller muscle groups such as the wrist, forearm, and elbow to support baby for long periods may be one reason parents find it hard to lift their arms after holding baby. Moms and dads are encouraged to use larger areas such as the shoulder joint, spine, and the whole arm to support the baby’s weight. Multiple support points can help distribute the baby’s weight and lower the chance of arm soreness or numbness. In addition, if the elbow is suspended while feeding, the arm must use more effort to support the baby. To help avoid difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby, moms are recommended to place a moon pillow under both arms to support the baby’s weight. A soft yet supportive moon pillow can also help the arms feel more comfortable.
4. Keep Baby Close to You and Avoid Leaning Forward
According to MomBaby, newborns need breast milk about every 2 to 3 hours on average. Depending on their sucking condition, each feeding usually lasts about 5 to 10 minutes. Since the time is short, some bottle-feeding moms may lean their upper body over the crib and feed baby directly with a bottle. In this posture, the weight of the upper body is supported by the lower back. If the arms are not supported by the crib rail, a pillow, or other support, the chance of lower back discomfort may increase. The ideal way to hold baby is to bring baby into your arms instead of leaning your body toward baby, while avoiding forward leaning that may cause lower back discomfort. In addition to holding baby with your hands, you can also use an air-cushion baby carrier to keep baby stable, with 20mm thickened dual shoulder straps. This helps free both hands while distributing the baby’s weight, making it easier to reduce arm discomfort caused by holding baby with one arm.
Recommended Baby Care Product: GENNIE’S Air-Cushion Baby Carrier with 20mm Thickened Shoulder Straps for Better Weight Distribution
After reading the above sections, we believe moms and dads now have a clearer answer to questions like “Why can’t I lift my arms after holding baby?” and “Why do my arms start to feel sore after just playing airplane a few times?” In fact, the bones and muscles of the shoulders are quite complex, and the amount of weight they can bear when lifting above the head is not as high as we may imagine. Therefore, when the arm nerves, muscles, and bones are used with a wide range of motion or heavier weight, discomfort may be more likely to occur. GENNIE’S has organized the above content, using shoulder structure and principle diagrams to help everyone understand 3 reasons for difficulty lifting the arms after holding baby and 4 helpful methods. We believe everyone can now understand how to make adjustments more clearly. Please note that if soreness or discomfort remains after stretching and massaging the arms and wrists, moms and dads are advised to seek professional help from a medical institution.
GENNIE’S recommends the Air-Cushion Baby Carrier, featuring 20mm thickened shoulder straps on both sides. It helps moms and dads free both hands to reach for a bottle, wipe baby’s mouth, and more, while also distributing the weight placed on both arms by the baby. Shop GENNIE’S recommended Air-Cushion Baby Carrier now!
