Back to the back doctor

This time last year, I was a month out from giving birth. I also had a standing date with my chiropractor every single week. She’d adjust my neck, a few spots in my back and always, always my hips because you know my little baby girl was doing a number on me. A year ago, it was a combination of a seven-pound watermelon in my abdomen and all those loosening ligaments. These days, it’s still (mostly) all the baby’s fault.
I almost always carry her on my left hip. Sometimes I hold her with both arms against my belly and sometimes I’ll switch her to my right side. But most of the time, I hold her one-handed on the left, so I can hold stuff like car keys, a bag, a leash, a little hand, whatever, with my right hand. She’s spending more time cruising around on the floor these days, but I still hold her a lot. She’s so cute and snuggly, and this time is so short, you know? Pretty soon I’ll be the one chasing her down for a squeeze.
Anyway, here’s the problem with my 16-pound passenger: When she’s sitting on my left hip and I bend over to do anything—load a plate into the bottom rack of the dishwasher, pick something up from the floor, toss clothes into the dryer, anything that involves leaning down in some capacity (something that happens a lot)—I tend to do it really badly. Horrible form. Cringe-worthy, really. Without thinking about it (until it’s way too late), I kind of jut my left hip out so she doesn’t fall off, and sort of drop straight down or even slightly back.
Don’t do this. Don’t be like me. Because this is part of the reason I’m having issues with my hips. I’ll be totally fine for weeks, pulling this little stunt way too often, and then I’ll do it one time too many and a little while late I’ll start noticing that my right hip is killing me.
I also stand with all my weight on one leg a lot, plus the baby on my hip. That’s bad news too. So after getting my hips readjusted today—both sides, ugh—I’m making a serious effort to stand evenly, weight distributed properly, and to skip the dishes and the laundry entirely. I mean, I think it’s the responsible thing to do.
I kid, I kid. Here’s what I’m really doing: putting the baby down first. If that’s not an option (because she’ll be trampled by the oversized puppy sniffing around the kitchen), I’m holding her against my belly with one arm and squatting down to load that dumb dishwasher. All things considered, it’s a pretty awesome core and booty workout.