Ouch! Post Pardum Carpal Tunnel - need advice

[Anonymous]

DC is now 3 months old and I can no longer ignore the pain in both my wrists or think it will eventually go away. I have an appointment with an orthopedic next week, but before I see him I wanted to gather some insight as to whether others have developed carpal tunnel  from picking up and holding their babies and what worked for them.  I have been wearing some wrist guards but don't know of anything else I should be doing.  Advice please???

[Anonymous]

Wear the guards all the time.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I had the exact same problem, which I attributed esp. to breastfeeding. I wore the wrist guards and just tried to be very conscious about how I was using my wrists and "stretching" them, moving them around in circles when possible. It went away by about 5 months fortunately. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I got it from breastfeeding. I'd wake up in the middle of the night holding my hands like claws and aching badly. It got much better after I introduced cereal and started cutting down on the number of times I nursed each day.

[Anonymous]

I had terrible pain in my wrists, too, but assumed I got it from those infant carrier/car seat combos... an injury from the awkward position required to snap them in and out of the car and to carry them. I did finally heal, but it took a LONG time.

[Anonymous]

I got De Quarvain's (not sure if I butchered the spelling), which is similar to carpal tunnel in pain but has a different origin. I got it from picking up my son and carrying him. It went away after a little while - can't recall how long. When it got really bad, I used over the counter medication like Aleve or Ibuprofen. I was offered injections, but decided against it. I have no long term problems. In fact, I had actually forgotten about it until I read this post.

One of my friends got carpal tunnel from carrying her son in the car seat basket. Like some PPs, she used wrist guards. She also was able to manage it without surgery and it ultimately went away as her son got older.

[Anonymous]

The shots worked for me. They last for several months, which might be long enough for your baby to be in a different stage.

[Anonymous]

I had such severe pain that I could barely lift my 6lb baby. My husband is a physician and gave me the injections. I have not needed them almost 6 yrs and another child later. Since than he has treated several other women. If you are interested I can give you his info offline.
[e-mail]

[Anonymous]

i had this. wear the wrist guard so that your wrist doesn't bend. take some ibuprofen. mine got better in a few months. good luck. they recommended physical therapy but at the time i had no sitter and that was not realistic for me. if yours persists, i would go that route.

[Anonymous]

I had this pain. Totally agree with the wrist guard advice -- it pretty much imobolizes the whole wrist and gives it a break. When I saw my doc about this he said it was tendonitis and not carpal tunnel. He recommended the wrist guards (you can buy them at CVS) and I started feeling relief a few days later. I wore the guards for a couple of months -- at first all the time, and then just at night.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for this post! I have had bad pain from my thumbs to my wrists esp at night & in the morning. I am afraid I might drop my son. I wanted to call a dr but didn't know if I should call my ob, general pract., or specialist. Who should I consult with? How is it related to bf? Is it hormonal? When do you wear the wrist bands & for how long? What kind of wrist guards do you use? Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

It is related to breast feeding since some women support their breast or the babies head with their hand while they are nursing. Holding your hand in this position for a long time w/ or w/out the added weight of the baby puts a strain on the tendons. It can also be related to hormones since you still have some relaxin floating around in your joints.

I used the type of wrist guards that had metal plates in the bottom that followed the natural curve of your wrist and used velcro to secure in place. You need to keep up the wrist guards until the pain goes away. It also helps to just use your hands to initially help the baby latch on and to then a boppy or other support do the rest.

I just went to my general practioner who recommended I try the wrist guards before seeking a specialist. Since then I've heard of this from tons of other women.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's related to breast feeding. Mine started hurting in the hospital and I may have only fed once or twice at that point. I think it may be more of the stress on childbirth. All the pressure in your whole body, the softening of the joints, etc. I remember being in the hospital and afraid that I may drop my daughter when I had to change her. I wore the guards but had to finally have the injections.

[Anonymous]

i got it from carrying the car seat carrier. went away after i stopped doing that. went to a physical therapist and wore the guards for a bit. i also get it from typing at the computer and wear guards for a few days sometimes...

[Anonymous]

You definitely need to consult a doctor, but this could also be rheumatoid arthritis, which I developed post-pregnancy. Pregnancy puts it into remission, apparently, and about 3-4 months after pregnancy, it flares up. Good luck.