Exciting times are ahead- my gorgeous first-born is producing a gorgeous first-born with her gorgeous husband! And today we went to check out prams. Well it’s only logical that if we paid $500 for a pram/ stroller 29and a half years ago they will cost quite a bit more these days. We went to a shop in Armadale, Melbourne called Kiddie Country and Mike the owner there gave us a tutorial and then our ‘license’ in folding and assembling the ‘GTX’ version of a pram.
The Joolz pram I have to say was superb- ease of maneuverability of the pram and height the bassinet sits at, were incredible. When you have to bend to pop the bub in and out of the bassinet multiple times in a day, then you are likely to suffer some back pain if the pram is quite low. So if you are having a baby, when choosing your pram, make sure you think about how low do you have to stoop to the level of the baby, as this can really affect whether you get back pain or not.
The other thing that is important when looking at strollers and prams is the weight of the pram. New mums have hormones circulating straight after the delivery of the baby and also when breast-feeding, and so can be more prone to developing back or pelvic pain. Do a comparison check of the weight between the different models before purchasing and remember to brace your tummy and pelvic floor prior to lifting the pram into the back of the car- and let your partner do the lifting if they are with you.
I have also been aware of the vast range of baby carriers (called baby slings in my day) on the market these days. Definitely see if you can ‘borrow’ a baby to trial the different types of carriers to find the one that is the best for your body shape or ask your friends what they have found to be best. Better still if you see someone in Coles with a good one on start up a chat about them. I have found most mums love to share their advice about baby purchases. Babies do often settle better if they have some colic or reflux, if they are upright in a carrier and it allows the mum to have their hands free when doing the multitude of jobs that can pile up in those early days- eg. brushing your hair, cleaning your teeth, getting out of your jamies (pjs) cause it’s 6pm and hubby is due home any second……..
The car seats are the other thing that have become so much more sophisticated than in my day – but that’s a fabulous thing when you think about the safety of a new born in a car. They look fantastically cushioned and protective of those precious, sweet-smelling heads and are worth every cent.
So it’s all ahead of us- many of my patients express the joy that their grandchildren have brought them and certainly I know that my mum and dad loved the arrival of all their grandkids. Now I’ve just got to cope with the tyranny of distance- baby in Melbourne, us in Brisbane. 🙁