Hypermobility and a toddler: how are other hypermobile mums managing?

I don't have children but do have hypermobility and I can relate to your random injuries comment! So far thid yrar I have had 3 procedures on my shoulder, a back procedure because I have a prolapsed disc and I can just look at a heavy box and injure my knees 🤣. Its hard I can be achey in random places and sometimes I'm like why me!? I've always been told the best thing is strength training. I'm 37 and feel like an old lady a lot. I have an office job and sometimes get to bogged down in work. The best thing to do is to be active as much as you can!

2 small things that have helped me-

Thick bouncy sliders. I was having really achy sore feet after being on them all day, I've replaced my sheepskin slippers with recovery sliders and it's improved about 80%.
I was getting very achy lower back after dinner. I've 3 under 6 and we sit at the table for an hour at dinner. Resistance band around thighs and footstool make the dining chair such a nicer experience and reduce the pain afterwards.

I was also recently diagnosed with hypermobile joints after suffering aches and pains and fatigue for a couple of years, and I have a 4 year old. I'm lucky in that DS sleeps through and isn't an early riser, but I still feel tired most of the time - I wake up feeling no more rested than when I went to bed. It's also depressing feeling that my body is ageing too quickly, and not being able to do things like go for a run anymore. I'm already developing arthritis in some joints and only early 40s. No real suggestions, although I understand avoiding anything too high impact and focusing on exercises that strengthen the affected joints can help.

The thing that transformed my fatigue and pain was daily yoga. It was recommended by physio and OT for myself and my hypermobile children and I mainly started it so I could help them do it but, oh boy, it’s a brilliant relief. Swimming is also very good. Get as much sleep as you can, which I know can seem impossible with wee ones but if you have family and friends I’m sure they’d help if you explain the situation. Fatigue is utterly draining, and the feeling of complete weakness is scary when you’re Mum so do anything you can to help. Batch cook, get a cleaner etc, anything. Good luck, feel free to message me if you ever want an understanding ear.

Oh sorry - if menopause makes it worse, push for HRT!! Oestrogen patches plus Mirena for me, and I’m only in perimenopause

PS broken sleep makes everything harder, including pain.

I’m also hyper mobile and was signed off work due to pelvic girdle pain the last 10 weeks of pregnancy - so I can relate to starting from a fitness /strength level of zero.

what has helped me is Pilates. Also pacing, aka just doing less , which is boring for me sometimes but keeps me lower pain /pain free. I only work 3 days week though, I would really struggle to work FT. (Sorry if that’s not helpful).

my son is now 4, and it has just been a gradual but non stop improvement since he was born. It is SO much better now he’s sleeping in his own bed, and doesn’t need carrying as much, and so on and so forth. So if nothing else, it will get naturally better.

Hypermobile mum also working in law here (just the services side though!) and I've got no advice at all sadly, sounds like you're doing everything you can. I'm learning something new though, the fainting episodes are related and it'll get WORSE with menopause? FML.

We go swimming a lot, because then I can pick him up and wave him around without him weighing so much. Otherwise we spend lots of time outside. At work, I try to move multiple times per hour and do my physio exercises at the coffee machine. Dancing is protective. I used to do a lot but stopped in my 20s, then started getting injured having moved to other sports. Physio and pilates in my 30s helped a lot

Fellow mum working in law and surviving hyper mobility.

stronger training and yoga have massive reduced my injury frequency, I just ruthlessly prioritise it over everything (except parenting and billable hours 😁)

I have actively chosen to leave the house messy and laundry undone to exercise. This has meant better quality sleep, albeit sometimes interrupted.

it’s a slog but they get older and that helps.