Stay-at-home moms are true heavyweights, lifting an estimated 900 kg (1,984 lb) over the course of their day while caring for baby, according to recent research by an Australian insurance firm.
They calculated that infants are lifted approximately 90 times daily whether for feeding, naps, diaper changes or playtime. Assuming the average nine-month-old infant weighs about 10 kg (22 lb), it adds up to almost one ton of lifting across a single day.
Fitness guru Jenny Dugard confirms that women receive an enormous workout when caring for young children: "Many women may have worked in offices before having a baby and then they start the most physical job they have ever had, taking care of a baby," she explained.
"It’s not only babies either, toddlers want to be carried and they only get heavier,” she continued. “If women don’t work to build up their strength they can end up with a range of injuries just from being a mom."
As a mother of two, Dugard is only too familiar with the risk of chronic sore backs and shoulder pain that new moms face. In light of these numbers, she recommends women prepare for the physical demands of motherhood by maintaining an exercise routine throughout pregnancy.
Photo credit: healingdream/FreeDigitalPhotos.net