Prams

do some lightweight buggies. The ones I know about are Quest sport buggy- 5.7kg- and the Mclaren Volo- 4.7kg. I am based in the Uk but I assume Mclarens is available in many other countries if you are not.

By the way congratulations on your pregnancy!

Frankie x

I prefer to use a sling to get out and about with my baby and i suspect carrying them might set up less intra abdominal pressure than pushing something. I swap between a ring sling and a wrap depending on what i'm doing and carry my baby high and tight so that he is close to my center of gravity. Carrying him also has a knock on effect of making me more aware of my posture..and i find it easier to stay in posture than when i'm pushing a buggy.

As well as being light, make sure that the hsndle on your pram is at a comfortable height so that you can push and maintain your posture as best you can.

soup

oooh one of my fav topics. I'm a sling-a-holic these days

I have a lightweight stroller, its a combi savvy, don't know if they still make this model but mine weighs 7.7 lb and has a handy shoulder strap for carrying. like if you have to go up a bunch of stairs, or walk through a narrow plane aisle, or on the sand...
I also have a (very heavy) jogging type stroller for long walks. the handle adjusts in height (a must for us as dh is well over 6 ft) so I am always in good form :)
but I never plan to lift that thing. its a behemoth.

if you're looking into other slings check out thebabywearer.com
warning: its very addictive

I have two cloth slings, well three if you count the one I don't use, and they are not all created equal. it needs to be made of a supportive fabric, and adjustable. the Nojo sling is padded heavily and is not very adjustable. I could never get it tight enough (ie dd never felt safe in it). I have a Maya Wrap ring sling and if you pull the fabric tightly, your child is very safe in it. Obviously when bending over I put a hand on the baby, and I don't do stupid things like rollerblade or play basketball while wearing the baby. there is a learning curve, and when you figure out how and where to pull the fabric, you can adjust the depth of the sling too. I forget where you are, but there are babywearing meetings all over, where you can get hands on help in learning to wear the baby.

I also have a woven wrap (christine posted a pic of herself wearing her grandbaby in one) and that's fabulous because it distributes the weight over your shoulders, across your back and onto your waist. at first I was apprehensive about that, since I'm avoiding wrapping things tightly around my waist, but so far so good.

and...I just got my meitai, another type of carrier that has long adjustable straps to distribute the weight in a similar way to the wrap. it kinda sorta looks like the Baby Bjorn at first glance, but if you compare the two you will find that in the BB the baby hangs off your shoulders (I never found that one comfy) and with the MT, the weight is through the shoulders, spine and hips. I can wear my 20+ lb baby for well over an hour in that thing without a twinge.

so what do I recommend? lots of baby carriers! they are such fun. dh is amused, as I am not one to spend frivolously on myself, I haven't bought a new pair of shoes in years and here I am buying one carrier after another. I'm enjoying this last babyhood of ours to the fullest!

I love my ergo- for an all around carrier- it can go front back and hip- it can hold my 4 year old- it can set low low low on your hips so when I wear it there is no pressure on my tummy- and it can hold a tiny baby too. my husband can wear it and it adjusts easily and quickly.
Recently I have worn a wrap stye that ties in a knot but it felt like there was too much pressure on my tummy- but it was so much prettier than my ergo-
last night I was at a wedding reception and I forgot my ergo so I threw my shawl over one shoulder-stuck my baby on my hip in it like a hip sling and tied a tight knot in the back- and it worked fine-

i also love my slings. i got a hug a bub wrap which is heaven. i still carry my 10 month old in it for short journeys. back carrying doesn't agree with me, but tight and high on the front is great.

pram wise, i got a mamas and papas (peg perego in the US) Aria and it is great. it's about 5lb, lies flat, tons of space underneath, and you can push it with one hand. i highly recommend it! my physio really pushed me to get a lighter one (my old one was only 9lb but still too heavy) and it really helped. i can put it in the car no problem, use it for shopping etc. only thing i don't do is push it up big hills--then i really feel things. but for day to day it's great, as i can't walk far with the sling especially as our baby really doesn't like it as he wants to move too much so gets annoyed quickly now.
i researched lots of them, and this was by far the sturdiest / lightest of them.

I definately think they are connected!
a sling means baby becomes an extension of you, just like in pregnancy. i loved rubbing my bump and with baby in a sling you can keep rubbing them plus you get to kiss their little heads!!! it's heaven. i couldn't imagine having a little one anywhere else. i carried no. 1 for 3 years in a sling. unfortunately no. 2 just really doesn't like it now. he just wants to move around...

the only thing i would say is avoid the slings you get in standard baby shops like the plague! they aren't good for baby (hanging on their pelvis) and aren't good for you, usually giving very little back support. so many women get them and say within days "they hurt my back,i can't carry them!". no, it's the sling hurting!

i definately definately would recommend the wrap sling so it is so versatile... the hug a bug has a little stretch great for popping wee ones in and out. i think the wovens are meant to be better as they get heavier as then you get more support, but harder to get them in / out when they are floppy little ones (from what i read / was told).

anyway, i'll stop now....i could go on forever!!!

I agree with your entire post. wearing the baby does feel as though he is still a part of me. the attention is fun too. if everyone loves to pat a pg belly, they go nuts over a baby's head poking up from a sling, right at eye level. baby loves it and so do I : )

'mainstream' carriers are awful, and yes, many people say they can't wear their babies because those carriers are not comfortable at all.

personally, I have no trouble 'popping' the baby in and out of the woven wrap, been doing so since I got the wrap when he was about 6 weeks old. I was contemplating getting a stretchy wrap when I was pg, I'm glad I didn't because my baby's a chunky little thing, can't imagine the stretchy ones being supportive enough.