Loose joints after birth

[FizzingWhizzbee123]

I vividly recall it taking a full year after DS1’s birth before my joints felt normal again and I could stand up and walk without hobbling like an old lady. It wasn’t much fun.

Now 34 weeks with DS2 and, boy, have my hips and back gone big time! So much discomfort. It’s got me dreading the loose ligaments for ages after birth.

Is there anything I can do to shorten the recovery time? I’ve read that it lasts 5 months after birth. Mine definitely went on longer and further reading suggests that might be linked to breastfeeding? Apparently it can go on for a few months after breastfeeding. I fed DS1 until 7/8 months, so joints feeling better around his first birth seems to add up.

Basically, if I breastfeed, do I just need to accept this as a hormonal side effect? Or is there anything I can do (like gentle exercise, walking swimming etc) to speed up recovery? Or, being hormonal, so I just need to wait until it sorts itself out? I’ve got a toddler to chase this time!!

Kind of in the same boat myself. I breast fed for 6 months last time and I’m sure it perpetuates the hormones that keep your joints loose and unstable...

So I’m possibly going to breast feed for a bit less this time. I’m a horse rider and I need my body back!

Personally I didn’t fix my postnatal PGP until I found this amazing Aussie physio clinic online called the O.P clinic. That was 2 years after the birth! I did an intense program with them and it worked, and has also helped me keep the pain at bay in this pregnancy. I have some very specific exercise and stretches from them that I try to do every day, and they’ve helped hugely

I think I’m going to rest completely for 6 weeks this time round..not even going to carry baby in sling for that period, unlike last time! Then slowly add in gentle gym stretches at home plus walking. I won’t get on a horse again for at least 3 months this time either

I had a slight diastasis recti last time too, so will be allowing time for that to heal before rushing around x

Thanks, that’s interesting. You don’t get much advice on it, do you? Whenever I’ve mentioned it, I’m just met with a sympathetic nod and shrug and “yeah, it’s normal”.

This week, it’s been really bad though and I wonder if some exercises would help. I’m not sure whether to talk to someone before birth about the pelvic pain or whether they’ll just tell me to suck it up as there’s only 5ish weeks left. Also not sure if I should take to the GP or the midwife.

Also, I know it shouldn’t be a factor, but it is slightly putting me off breastfeeding for an extended time. I’m already feeling wary after a thoroughly miserable and mentally damaging 7 month breastfeeding journey with DS1.

@FizzingWhizzbee123
Yes I agree about the levels of advice - and so much of it is really crap! I tried seeing physios in the uk last pregnancy, but found them pretty useless. Others I have heard have found a chiropractor or osteopath amazingly helpful, so it must depend a lot on the individual therapist

I’m 36 weeks tomorrow and so far have managed to keep the PGP pain low or even non existent by using the exercises I learned from the O.P clinic. Their physio, Jason, did warn me that it would probably get bad again towards the end of pregnancy, and sure enough this week I’m really sore. But at least I know how to fix it and can use his program again postpartum. I highly recommend it, if you find yourself still in pain a few months after birth.

Do you have a support belt such as a Serola belt?

And a nice long think pillow to sleep with at night between knees and ankles?

These stretches are good:
I would avoid number 6 though.
7 is my favourite and I do it a couple times a day at the mo x

@Gerdticker Thanks! I do have a long pregnancy pillow from last time which I haven’t been using yet this time. I’ll have to dig it out. I don’t have a belt either, I’ll have a look because I’ve got no idea how I’m going to manage running around after my toddler for another 5+ weeks otherwise.

Pilates really helped me. I am hyper mobile and was at such a loss as to how to deal with joint pain in pregnancy and while breastfeeding (...and got nowhere with the gp or hospital physio referral) - in the end, I went to 1:1 pilates and it rehabilitated me. If I were to have another pregnancy then I would look to Pilates rather than the yoga and swimming that I was doing last time (with terrible SPD).

In lockdown, I found these videos on YouTube quite useful (... the instructor seems to know her stuff): m.youtube.com/channel/UCjP1qqdUt2rRUM3r_4-4MMg She does videos on pregnancy and postpartum Pilates, but you might want to see an instructor first.

Good luck (... and congratulations!) In the final weeks of pregnancy I did also go and see an osteopath and that helped me get through to the labour (... I have no idea what he did or why it helped - and my doctor friend did raise an eyebrow when I mentioned it - but it did really help!) perhaps I should have gone back to the osteopath postpartum, too! A pregnancy pillow and the Swiss ball were also helpful.

I hope you find something that works!