I BROKE MY BACK picking up my baby

Kim's life was turned upside down shortly after the birth of her daughter

- EVA LEWICKI

Kim Martin, 42, Brisbane, Qld

Time for your feed,' I smiled to my baby girl, Addison.

At 12 weeks old, she was an adorable bub and a little sister to much-loved my toddler Aidan.

But as I tried to pick up Addison from her bassinet in our bedroom, I felt a sharp pain in my back.

'Ow!' I cried, putting her back down. I was in such agony I could barely move.

It was a shock as I didn't suffer from a bad back.

I loved to keep fit with my husband Justin, then 37, who was a personal trainer.

We worked out in the gym regularly and went running together.

I must have overdone it, I thought.

I struggled to get through the day looking after the kids.

Justin was retraining as a paramedic so, not wanting to disturb him, I waited until he came home to tell him about my back.

'You've been doing too much,' he said, taking over.

The next day I was still in huge pain, so I went to see my GP who diagnosed muscle strain and gave me stretching exercises to do. I did them once and they hurt so much I couldn't do them again.

Two days later, I visited an osteopath, but almost blacked out in agony when I tried to get up from the examination table.

My mum Yvonne, then 64, came to help with the kids, but by then the pain was so bad I was being physically sick.

She called a home GP who sent me straight to hospital, where I had an X-ray. I never imagined what it'd show.