(HealthDay News) -- Back pain is common among new moms, who always seem to be lifting and carrying their newborns.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these suggestions to help new mothers thwart back pain:

• Start exercising in short bursts as soon as you can after you give birth.
• Make an effort to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight within six weeks of delivery.
• When you pick up your baby, don't twist your body. Hold baby close to you. Bend at the knees, squat down and lift with your legs.
• Carry baby with a front carrier; never carry baby on your hip.
• Nurse baby in an upright chair. Bring baby to your breast, rather than bending over.
• When putting baby in a car seat, kneel in the backseat, rather than standing upright outside the car.