[realjl]

Our three month old is giving mom severe pain in her wrists and forearms.

The only response we get is 'it's normal', which is nice, but doesn't help. When I do a search of this site I see MCTS (carpel tunnel) and arthritis...

I guess my question is: are there known and recommended doctors (sports medicine people, others) who can help my wife?

Thanks for any suggestions...

[Buckeroo]

I had something similar. Diagnosis: DeQuervain's disease (exotic, eh?). I was told it was due to incorrect positioning of the hand/arm when holding the baby. I was given some cream to ease the pain and had to wear a wrist brace. I'm fine now. It's a matter of correcting the way you hold the baby to make sure that you don't "stress" certain muscles.

I'm sorry but I don't have the name of the doctor that I saw, but he was with a medical groupin the Bank of America building in Admiralty/Central.

[mscheerful]

Welcome to the MOMMY CLUB! ALL my friends had it so just take care. It will get better when they don't need you to carry that much but will end up both legs are so tired from catching them and sore shoulders from pushing stroller! Fun being a mommy, right? :)

[babydoll]

I had similar problems with pain in my wrists. I used splints for a short while but suspec that it went away once I started work, and could not feed dd frequently.
It's just a matter of changing the position during feeding and holding the baby, and be reassured that it should settle with time.

[Sleuth]

Hard to make muscles go from no workout to baby workout. Babies don't weigh a lot, but you carry them around for a long time and proper lifting/holding technique is a necessity.
Rest should cure your pains. Easier said than done, I know. Try different methods of holding and feeding and spend longer periods of time talking on the couch/bed/play mat so you don't have to hold.
Might also try stretching the muscles involved.
And mscheerful is right, when they get older the pain is just going to shift. Might want to check with your doctor and start some sort of workout routine if you want to avoid future pains in different areas.

[mumbloxy]

Hi, I had a bad case of this and doc says its due to a change in hormones and somehow it makes our joints more open or weak or something. Anyway, I tried the cream and the wrist brace and some verbal medication. The other alternative I was given by 2 docs was a steroid injection, which I was adamantly against. However, after many mths of on and off pain and as my little boy grew heavier and more active, I felt like I was missing out on some play times with him since I couldn't hold him in certain positions, I decided to go for the shot. It COMPLETELY healed in a matter of days! Just want to share my experience & hope your case is not as bad!

[Portia]

I went to a physio who said that my wrist pain was caused by bad posture (rounded shoulders which was putting pressure on the nerve) and carrying a heavy baby around as well as hormones. She gave me exercises to do to improve my posture and to stretch the nerve. The wrist pain eventually went away after a few months.

[MilkMonster]

I had the same thing, severe pain in my forearms and wrists. I found taping up my wrists with sports tape every morning and holding the baby in the crook of my elbow versus head in my hand, helped a bit. Hang in there, if i recall it only lasted until 6 or 7mths...