Babywearing while pregnant is a wonderful way to meet the needs of a soon-to-be big sibling. Wearing a child while pregnant can be more comfortable carrying a child in arms.
Before embarking on a babywearing journey while pregnant, be sure to consult with your midwife or obstetrician. In most cases, if you are cleared to carry your child, you are also cleared to wear your child. If you are on pelvic bed rest or asked not to lift your child, you should obstain from wearing them. Instead, you can sit and have your child crawl into your lap for snuggles.
Before embarking on a babywearing journey while pregnant, be sure to consult with your midwife or obstetrician. In most cases, if you are cleared to carry your child, you are also cleared to wear your child. If you are on pelvic bed rest or asked not to lift your child, you should obstain from wearing them. Instead, you can sit and have your child crawl into your lap for snuggles.
While pregnant (and any other time too!) always listen to your body. If a carry is uncomfortable, try something different. There may be stages in pregnancy when one type of carrier or carry is comfortable and stages when the same carry is not comfortable. It's also possible that babywearing won't be comfortable at all for you during pregnancy and that's fine too. Just remember always to trust and listen to your body. If it's not comfortable, don't do it.
I've worn toddlers through two pregnancies now and this blog will share the tips and tricks that I've learned over the course of these two pregnancies. I've created videos for each main carrier types with options that I have found comfortable at various stages of pregnancy. What I've found comfortable has varied in each pregnancy and week by week during my pregnancies. It takes a little trial and error to find a comfortable carry.
I've worn toddlers through two pregnancies now and this blog will share the tips and tricks that I've learned over the course of these two pregnancies. I've created videos for each main carrier types with options that I have found comfortable at various stages of pregnancy. What I've found comfortable has varied in each pregnancy and week by week during my pregnancies. It takes a little trial and error to find a comfortable carry.
Soft Structured Carriers
In my second pregnancy, I found using a soft structured carrier very uncomfortable and didn't use it at all. With my third pregnancy, I loved using a soft structured carrier throughout the pregnancy. I found it comfortable before 20 weeks with the waist belt clipped above my belly and after 20 weeks with the waist belt clipped below my belly. This video shows both methods as well as a few tricks for getting a toddler safely on your back with a soft structured carrier.
Mei Tais
Mei tais are one of my favorite carriers while pregnant. Like with a SSC, before around 20 weeks, I find a mei tai really comfortable in a high back carry tied above the belly. After about 20 weeks, I like to tie the waist belt below my belly and a little off to the side. Tying a little off to the side allows me to spread out the width of the waistbelt strap to make a pregnancy support belt. Another option with a mei tai is to tie tibetan with both the shoulder and waist straps, which creates a very comfortable carry with no weight on the belly at all.
Ring Slings
The only way I can comfortably use a ring sling while pregnant is in a back carry. This video shows how to do a safe back carry with a ring sling where the rings land at corsage level. This is a great carry for a toddler (12 months or older) and for someone who is skilled with a ring sling. In order to do this carry, a person should know how to neatly thread the sling, strand by strand tighten, approximate the size of the pouch, and make a nice deep seat for the toddler.
Woven Wraps
Woven wraps are my favorite carrier while pregnant. They are so versatile and there are a ton of different carry options. My favorite carries with a woven wrap while pregnant are carries that tie at the chest or shoulder. These are wonderful because there is no weight on my belly at all. Below are a few videos of carries that are my favorites while pregnant.
Ruck Tied Tibetan
Ruck tied Tibetan is a super quick carry that uses a longer wrap (sizes 5-7). Tying Tibetan keeps the weight off of the belly. When tying Tibetan, I like to spread the crosses of the Tibetan tie wide across my whole chest so that the weight loads evenly over my whole chest.
Double Hammock Tied under the Bum
Double Hammock tied under the bum is a carry that uses a longer wrap (sizes 5-7). The chest pass in this carry helps spread the baby's weight out and is very comfortable.
Double Hammock Tied at the Shoulder
Double Hammock Tied at the Shoulder is a comfortable carry that uses a long wrap (sizes 5-7). This carry has a chest pass that takes a lot of the weight load.
Reinforced Rear Rebozo Ruck
Reinforced Rear Rebozo Ruck (also known as Pirate Carry because of it's abbreviation RRRR) is a carry that uses a shorter wrap (sizes 2-4).
Double Rebozo
Double Rebozo is a back carry that uses a shorter wrap (sizes 2-4).
Ruck Tied Under the Bum
Ruck Tied Under the Bum is an advanced back carry, but very quick to do. It uses a size 2-3 wrap and is excellent for quick ups and downs with a toddler. Shorter wraps are small and easy to tuck in a purse or diaper bag and can even be worn as a scarf or pregnancy support belt while not in use.
Other Comfortable Carries
There are a ton of carries with woven wraps that tie at the chest, shoulder, or under the bum. These carries are all wonderful while pregnant because they don't put any weight on the belly. Some of my other favorites are:
- Back Wrap Cross Carry with Ruck Straps, Tied Tibetan
- Jordan's Back Carry, Tied Tibetan
- Giselle's Back Carry, Tied Tibetan
- Reinforced Ruck, Tied Tibetan
- Double Rebozo Shoulder to Shoulder, Tied under the Bum
- Half Jordan's Back Carry
Remember always to listen to your body!
Hopefully something here will be comfortable for you while pregnant, but remember always to listen to your body. If you're not comfortable, try a different carrier or carry. If that doesn't help make you comfortable, it's okay not to baby-wear during pregnancy. Some people do not find it comfortable at all during pregnancy and that is fine. Some people find it comfortable only during certain stages of pregnancy, and that's fine too. Always listen to your body and only do what's comfortable for you.
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