sore joints since birth of dd

[pesme]

Hi, dd is 4.5 months old, since her birth I have had really stiff & sore ankles, feet and knees. I thought it was some post birth thing but it hasn't really cleared up. I am more sore in the morning - find it really hard to walk down stairs before I have had a hot bath. Anyone else had symtoms like this? Am going to see doctor next week but would like some information. Dreading being told I have arthritis

[twiglett]

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[binkie]

No don't worry it's incredibly common, you just for some reason don't hear about it. I had it when both of mine were babies - ankles, stairs, aagh. Mentioned it recently to someone at a wedding who just about fell off her chair with relief that she wasn't the only one.

It's so long past now (children now 5 and 3 and a half) that I can hardly remember what I found out about it - maybe something to do with lactic acid in joints? Remember being told that after weaning (by which I mean stopping breastfeeding) it would clear up quickly. I was worried that it was to do with me being such an ancient mum - 37 & 38 when they were born - and it would never go away but it completely has.

Don't cancel your appt though - be interesting to hear what you're told.

[gloworm]

you could ask your GP about a herbal remedy called glucosamine sulphate, its fantastic for joints/muscles/tendon/ligaments, arthritis, rheumatism etc. you need to start on 2000mg per day, then can reduce after about 2 mths to 1000mg. it can be prescribed, although possibly only in a weaker strength, so you would have to take a few per day.

its also great for wound healing, so great to speed up recovery after birth/section/stitches/tears.

safe to use while breastfeeding.

[pesme]

Cheers folks, nice to know I am not the only one - binkie. I looked everywhere for info on this. Mumsnet comes up trumps again! will let you know what the doctor says.

[Spod]

i have the same lately, dd is 8 months... morning are a killer for sore feet, ankles, knees.. stairs real problem.. let us know what doc says...

[Soapbox]

Yes - I agree very common but sadly also very painful! Three out of four in my NCT class had this - one mum particularly badly, she ended up seeing the doctor and had to haev strapping on her wrist and ankle joints. IME it was the older mums who suffered more - but don't know if this applies to you

I used to feel like I was 100 years old every time I tried to stand up from sitting on the sofa. Getting out of bed in the morning was also a slow process.

Apparently at around 4 months post partum the pregnancy hormones all disappear and this is just one of the symptoms of this. The most common thing that happens round this time is hair thinning which I also had!

It does get better but TBH it did take a while - maybe 2 to 3 months!

[Lisa78]

Mine is 7m and I still have it - in my elbows and wrists as well. With DS1, it lasted nearly a year, I spent 4 months thinking I had MS

[pesme]

I'm not that old, 32. Or is that old? How depressing. Am seeing doctor on Wednesday.

[MancMum]

This is so reassuring - I too have been worried about everything from MS to arthritis... I have had days where my feet where just agony to walk on and I have had sore wrists and elbows...

my DD is now 1 and it has been a while since I felt the pain in my feet first thing in the morning - now I have pain in my shoulder and neck but I assume that is more to do with carrying round a 26lb baby!

[littleweed]

me too, me too!! thank goodness for that -thought that I was getting arthritis in evry joint in my body & feel a bit too young for that at 39. this had made me feel so much better to know I'm not alone! cheers!

[binkie]

Pesme, it may well be that it affects us oldies (by which I mean me not you!) worse, but the mum I was talking to at the wedding (per first message below) is in her 20s.

[pesme]

As the saying goes binkie - you are as old as the woman you feel. In my case nearly 5 months!

[Chuffed]

Oh what a relief, I was getting worried that I was getting arthritis or something. My knees are just killing all day, and ankles and wrists in the mornings. Look forward to when this goes, makes me feel twice my age (29)

[GeorginaA]

Would this be the same reason I'm getting pains in my knees and my hands (wrists right through to finger joints)? I'm also often waking with pins and needles in three fingers on both hands - something that happened just after ds1 was born but then I wrote it off as a side effect of the epidural for some bizarre reason. Dunno why, probably made sense in my sleep deprived brain at the time.

[pesme]

Hi quick update. Had my bloods done and am not arthritic so that is fabulous. GP was v. apologetic but had no answers. Hopefully will clear up after I stop bf. Which might be sooner than planned due to biting! Anyone else have a whole new respect for their mother after giving birth?

[littletree]

I had it for I don't know how many months... Especially the feet! I clearly remember feeling like all the little bones in my feet were crunching and breaking when I woke up in the mornings. I don't remember it past 6 months. My ds is almost 1 year old and its completely gone.

[Lisa78]

Georgina - hands may be due to carpel tunnel syndrome, see your GP

[SoupDragon]

Aching joints can be due to the fact that bf-ing continues to cause relaxin to be produced (like in pregnancy) which softens your joints.

[ballee]

I had carpal tunnel syndrome in my pregnacy quite severly and also could barely walk due to very very aching feet. It felt like I had been dancing on concrete for 12 hours bare foot, everyday. When I had my little man it all cleared up for about a week (or that may have been the painkillers I was on from my ceasar) then my aching feet returned and now its gone to my knees, hips and hands. It feels a bit different than the aches in pregnancy, a little more tolerable but that could be due to the fact I am slightly lighter! I am so pleased I have just read that others have suffered the same. I was thinking I had arthritis too and was going to go to the doctors. My baby is only 9 weeks old and I'm still bf so I suppose its going to be another one of those things I have to grin and bear for a little while longer...

[sunrise]

i have sore wrists which has been diagnosed as deQuervains syndrome. physio said common sort of tendonitis in new mums from lifting baby. id guess it can happen in any joints depending on your weaknesses. have just got special thumb splints. also ibuprofen gel helps. had for four mths. also having acupuncture and taking rhus tox homeopathic remedy. getting a little better but still v painful mornings.

[hazlinh]

wow i thot i was the only one! didnt ask my dr for fear of being laughed at! had an image of him rolling abt on the floor and needing to be picked up by a mop.... have had very weak left knee since giving birth 5 mths ago! cant even walk properly upon getting up from chair. my kneee sort of gives way and i have to hobble along for 5-8 secs waiting for my knee joints to kick in. and i'm only 26!!!!!!!!!feel like an old woman

[Portree]

What a relief to find this post. All I can say is me too! Ankles especially after kneeling on the floor with ds. I was convinced I had some kind of arthritis. Hazlinh, I haven't asked my doctor either for fear of him sucking his teeth and muttering something about being an elderly prima-whatever at 38 and what do you expect.

[XenaWP]

two months later, but thank goodness for this thread. am another one who thought genetic arthritis had struck, I walk like a 60 year old 1st thing in morning and fingers are bad too.

[Chuffed]

5 months later I still have it but not so bad...hopefully am on the way to recovery.

[pesme]

I still have it 8 months on. Comes & goes though. Pain in the *rse.