Postpartum Joint Pain

My knees also became "arthritic" when I had a baby. My joints didn't go back to normal until about 3 months after I stopped breastfeeding. I think it has something to do with the pregnancy/lactation hormones.

Good luck!

J.,

Sorry about that. I had the same thing when my son was born for several months. I had it in several place, but my wrists and fingers would just THROB and no one I talked to about seemed to know much about it. It was really frustrating! My OB who was great was on her own maternity leave, so I felt really alone about where to turn. I was thinking to start phys. therapy again, as I'd done prenatally for back and leg pain, but about that time it started to get better. I think it was about 6-8 mos. into it. It was when I started to lose more weight and get active again, drinking a lot of water and taking Tylenol now and then. One doc explained to me it was similar to a pregnancy-related carpal tunnel, where the tissues swell from weight and hormones and cause pain.

I will say, not to discourage you, that I still don't feel 100%, two years later. I still have misc. pains and feel like I've slowed down, but overall I feel good most of the time and am back to running, etc. It is amazing what pregnancy can to do a body!

I was breastfeeding and also bottle feeding due to numerous feeding problems, and I do feel like I felt better physically when I stopped, but I was so stressed from all the obstacles that kept popping up that it was probably a big factor in my soreness and aches.

Hopefully you are about to turn the corner from this, but if not, talk to a doc. Meanwhile, I recommend yoga (and I am normally not a big yoga-er, but it helped me), warm baths, stretching, exercise, and of course time! Oh, and I also went for massage and it helped. One day I was in tears, positive I had fibromyalgia or something like it because I was in so much pain. The masseuse assured me I was ok and I was, but you could not have convinced me of it at the time. It hurt! I feel for you, really.

Good luck to you!

C.

I had strange back pains for about 5 months after my son was born (my last trimester he was so big and seemed to be resting on nerves or something as my fingers would go numb at times if I wasn't standing up...) My OB even sent me for an MRI after the pain didn't go away the first two months after he was born. The pain did subside and nothing was wrong. But, I would definitely go see a doctor to be sure it is nothing more serious.

J. - I would see a doctor (perhaps an internist, not your ob) and get a work-up. I suffered for months with a bunch of nonspecific symptoms after delivering my first and didn't see a doctor b/c I thought I was supposed to be tired and feel bad with a new baby. Your symptoms are different than mine, but the delivery of a baby is a big physiological event and it can trigger auto-immune diseases and problems. GO get checked out so you can enjoy your baby!!

I had paint like that and it got so bad I couldn't pick up my baby. After tests and lots of reading I discovered I had 5ths disease which in kids is easy to spot, but very hard in adults. It's a fancy word for a virus that just needed antibotics. They say you can get it from your child's poop. They can be carriers and never get sick. At one point they told me I had a more serious illness, so keep reading and going to doctors until you know for sure what it is. Good luck!

Ask to have your thyroid level checked, if it hasn't been done yet. There are a lot of different symptoms for hypothyroidism, but joint pain was the one that clicked for me and my doctor. There are also autoimmune disorders with joint pain. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

Ahhhhh....the great joy of having kids. After having my first (6 years ago), I had tremendous pain in my writs and hands. I had the throbbing like you mentioned. I was told that it was tendonitis (I developed large bumps on the inside of my wrists). I wore wrist guards for several months and took naproxin. I have to say that it didn't flare up with my second one (4 years ago). However, I still don't have the hand strength that I used to, and I have flare ups in my hands/wrists from time to time. My knees held out ok, but my hips are really what bug me even to this day. Still pretty painful!

I used to get joint pains due to a hormonal imbalance. Maybe you could have your gyn do some tests.
Also, babies in the womb are kind of parasitic in your body -they take what they need- For example, if you didn't take in enough calcium- Your body gave the baby calcium from your bones. You may need to replenish some lost minerals. Check with a holistic type doctor.
Since you are nursing (yeah!) I would definitely look into increasing your nutrition. He may be continuing to "deplete" you if you are not taking in enough or enough of an assortment of foods/nutrients.
Wishing you well,
Good health and good luck

Breastfeeding has nothing to do with what you are experiencing. It can be attributed to your birth. Did you have an epidural or any type of spinal block? The needle may have caused some damage and the actual drug is known to have some lasting affects. I would get it checked out and even see a chiropractor too.

Get your thyroid checked, and make sure you are getting enough iron. Also, have you been screened for PPD? Depression can cause pain symptoms, also. I have had a lot of joint pain since ds2 was born and I do think nursing has something to do with it. You are naturally low on progesterone while nursing. You could get your progesterone checked to see, too.

It takes about 4-5 months for your ligament material properties to return to normal after having a baby. Given that your boy is 5 months I would expect this to be basically resolved at this point. It is very possible that you have some core weakness (God knows I did) after your pregnancy - ie your abs and deeper abdominal/back muscles are shot. This would manifest as back and possibly knee pain. I would mention the pain to your doctor and get a referral for a physical therapist. I saw a PT postpartum for some pelvic floor dysfunction and she fixed so many other things that were messed up with me!

It is also possible that for whatever reason there is something else going on - various autoimmune things can cause joint pain, along with some diet things. Either way, sounds like it's worth a visit to the doctor.

Yes! I suffered with it for almost 2 years after having my last child. My elbows, wrists, fingers, back and shoulders hurt. My doc tested me for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. and just wanted to give me pills for early arthritis (even though the tests came back negative). I declined the pills, and finally saw these amazing holistic physical therapists, who said toxins were building up in my body because they weren't being processed. They were collecting in my joints. They put me on a gluten-free diet (gluten is very hard for the body to process), and within a few days I felt amazing. No pain. I stayed gluten free for a year, and then they gradually had me reintroduce it. Now I know when my joints start hurting again to ease back on the gluten. Give it a try. It's so much better than being in pain or taking pills.

J.

Are you still taking vitamins? It could be a calcium definciency. Talk to you doctor about what vitamins you should be taking now. Your body is definitely depleted of many nutrients after the baby is born...Congrats on your baby! How exciting. I am expecting my third and vitamins are a big deal. They do help.

I felt pretty bad for several months after my son was born (I would say 6 months maybe?). Even though you're five months postpartum your body is using muscles daily it never used much before (bending, lifting, nursing etc.). For the back pain I found that doing pilates/yoga helped to restore my abdominal area and it lessened the back pain. Also, use lots of support for nursing when you are at home. Pillows or whatever eases the stress your son puts on your back. Make sure you are eating a good diet and still taking your prenatals. if it doesn't resolve with in the next month or two you might want to consider seeing your doc. good luck!

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but are you drinking enough water during the day (1/2 your body weight in ounces). Do you still take vitamins as well? How is your diet?

I take supplements specifically for joint health and another one that is an excellent vitamin but has ingredients that are actually anti-inflammatory (those that cause pain such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.). I am much older but in no pain at all. I've heard women in chronic pain conditions, after taking these natural supplements, are walking again - I mean doing walk-a-thons! I'd be happy to share what has worked for me and so many others. You really have to be careful of the quality of supplements that you buy. Not all vitamins are the same.
Email me and I'll attach some documents. Good luck--

K.
Wellness Consultant