Why this surprisingly common postpartum wrist problem happens, how to tell it from carpal tunnel, and what can actually make holding, feeding and lifting your baby more comfortable.

Of all the things people warn you about after having a baby, wrist pain rarely makes the list.

Then you reach into the crib and feel a sharp pain at the base of your thumb. Maybe it happens when you lift the car seat, twist open a bottle, support your baby’s head through a feed, or try to lower them into the bassinet without waking them.

Suddenly, something you use all day, every day, starts to hurt.

That very specific pattern of pain along the thumb side of the wrist is often de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, commonly called mommy thumb, mommy wrist, mummy thumb or baby wrist.

The name is not particularly inclusive, because you do not have to be a mother or even have been pregnant to develop it. Partners, adoptive parents, grandparents and other caregivers doing a lot of baby lifting and carrying can develop the same concern. Fun fact: in a former life I was a professional clarinetist and suffered with this throughout my musical career, years before I had my son. It’s definitely not something that only happens to parents!

What matters is that this is a real, recognised wrist condition. There are ways to make the movements you repeat all day easier on it, there are ways to help it recover, and you do not need to wait until your baby gets bigger to do something about it.

The short answer

Mommy thumb is the common name for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, a painful condition affecting two tendons on the thumb side of the wrist.

It is especially common during pregnancy and postpartum. Pregnancy-related fluid and hormonal changes may contribute, while all of the lifting, feeding, gripping and carrying that begins once a baby arrives can repeatedly aggravate the area.

Treatment may include changing how the wrist is being loaded, using a thumb spica splint, gradually rebuilding strength and, when appropriate, discussing a corticosteroid injection with a physician.

What is mommy thumb?

De Quervain’s tenosynovitis involves two tendons that travel from your forearm toward your thumb through a narrow tunnel at the wrist.

Normally, those tendons glide through that space quite easily. With de Quervain’s, the tissue around them can thicken and the space becomes tighter, so certain thumb and wrist movements start to hurt.

You may notice:

• pain where your thumb meets your wrist
• pain when lifting your baby or gripping something
• tenderness along the thumb side of the wrist
• swelling or fullness over the area
• pain that travels into the thumb or slightly up the forearm
• a catching or gritty feeling with certain movements

There is an interesting detail in the research that helps explain why simply resting and waiting does not always solve it. Tissue studies of de Quervain’s have found thickening and structural changes around the tendon sheath rather than only the acute inflammation people usually picture when they hear the word tendonitis.

That is why recovery is often about more than calming the area down. We also want to understand what keeps loading it and gradually help the wrist tolerate those jobs again.

Why does mommy thumb happen after having a baby?

There is probably more than one thing going on.

Pregnancy and the postpartum months involve substantial changes in hormones and fluid levels, and de Quervain’s is more common during this period. Researchers are still working out exactly how those changes affect the tissues around the wrist, so we would not reduce the whole problem to hormones.

Then your baby arrives and your hands get a completely new workload.

Think about how many times you lift a baby in one day. Add feeding, burping, pumping, bottles, diaper changes, stroller buckles, car seats and all of the little adjustments involved in supporting someone who cannot hold their own head up yet.

Simply picking up your baby also puts the wrist into a position that can irritate de Quervain’s. Your thumb spreads away from your hand while your wrist bends sideways and takes your baby’s weight.

That does not mean you caused this by lifting your baby incorrectly.

We are not interested in giving new parents one more thing to feel they have to do perfectly. Usually, we are looking for two or three small changes that take some pressure off the wrist during movements you are already doing dozens of times a day.

If your wrist is only one piece of what has been feeling different since birth, our guide to postpartum recovery in Toronto and Newmarket looks at the bigger picture of physical recovery and connected postpartum care.

How common is mommy thumb after pregnancy?

Common enough that we wish more parents heard about it before their wrist started hurting.

A nationwide study following more than 1.6 million pregnancies found that approximately 2.1% were formally diagnosed with pregnancy-related de Quervain’s during pregnancy or the postpartum period.

That number only captures people who received a diagnosis. It cannot tell us how many parents had wrist pain, assumed it was simply part of having a baby and never asked anyone about it.

The same study found associations with factors including being over 30, caesarean birth, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, multiple gestation and rheumatoid arthritis. Other postpartum research has identified somewhat different risk factors, including first pregnancy and going beyond 40 weeks.

The studies do not agree on everything, which is worth saying. There is no single profile of the person who develops mommy thumb.

What we do know is that de Quervain’s is a recognised pregnancy and postpartum musculoskeletal concern, and you do not need to prove your wrist hurts enough before asking someone to look at it.

Mommy thumb or carpal tunnel: how can you tell the difference?

These get mixed up all the time because both are common during pregnancy and postpartum, but they affect different structures and usually feel different.

Mommy thumb or de Quervain’s

The main concern is usually pain along the thumb side of the wrist.

• gripping and lifting tend to hurt
• twisting or opening jars may hurt
• the base of the thumb may feel tender or swollen
• moving the wrist sideways can bring the pain on

De Quervain’s involves tendons and the tissue surrounding them.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel is a nerve concern, so the pattern is more likely to include numbness, tingling or burning.

• it often affects the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger
• it can be worse overnight
• some people notice weakness or clumsiness in the hand

And yes, it is possible to have both at the same time.

There are other possibilities too. Arthritis at the base of the thumb can hurt in a similar area. If your wrist pain started after a fall rather than gradually with baby care, that deserves prompt medical assessment because fractures around this part of the wrist can sometimes be missed at first.

A practitioner may use particular thumb and wrist movements during an assessment, but one test you found online cannot tell the whole story. Where it hurts, how it started, what aggravates it, whether you have numbness or weakness and how the wrist moves all matter.

What actually helps mommy thumb?

The advice to “rest your wrist” sounds reasonable until you remember that there is a baby who still needs to be lifted, changed, fed, and generally cared for.

So we work with real life.

Start with what your wrist is doing all day

This is often where the easiest changes are hiding.

Changing the way you scoop your baby up may reduce strain every time you lift them. Building up your feeding position with pillows can take your baby’s weight out of one wrist. Propping your phone during a feed means you are not holding it in a pinch grip for twenty minutes. Keeping the car seat closer to your body changes the load again.

None of those things is a dramatic treatment. They matter because you repeat them so often.

Use the right kind of brace

For de Quervain’s, the usual support is a thumb spica splint, which supports both the wrist and the thumb.

A standard wrist brace leaves the thumb relatively free, so it does not control the same movements.

How often you should wear a splint depends on how irritable the wrist is and what else is happening in your treatment plan. We would rather have that decision based on your wrist than assume wearing it every minute of the day must be better. Our practitioners can help you find the right brace for you.

Then help the wrist get stronger again

Once things are settling, rehabilitation can help restore the movement, grip and strength you need for everyday life.

Which is important, because your baby is not getting lighter.

Your plan may include exercises for the thumb, wrist and forearm, and sometimes the shoulder and upper body too. What matters is gradually rebuilding the capacity you need for your actual day rather than handing every parent the same exercise sheet.

Oona’s orthopedic physiotherapists in Toronto and Newmarket assess wrist pain, repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal concerns during pregnancy, postpartum and beyond.

A corticosteroid injection can also be part of the conversation

If the pain is significantly interfering with baby care, or your lifestyle accommodations to reduce the pain are not doing enough, it may be worth discussing a corticosteroid injection with a physician or other qualified medical provider.

A 2023 systematic review and network meta-analysis found that corticosteroid injection followed by a period of thumb spica immobilisation had the strongest overall evidence for improving pain and function in de Quervain’s.

A much smaller randomised study involving pregnant and breastfeeding patients also found strong results from corticosteroid injection. Because that study was small, we would never turn it into a promise, but it does give us useful information when looking at treatment options.

Speaking from experience here, the cortisone shot combined with bracing is what did me the most good when I was suffering from it, but I would still always give traditional physiotherapy a go first.

Surgery is available for cases that do not improve with nonsurgical treatment, but most people never need to get to that point.

Want to go straight to a wrist assessment?

Orthopedic physiotherapy is available at both Oona locations, and no referral is needed.

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Can you get a cortisone injection while breastfeeding?

This is a good example of a question that deserves more than a quick yes or no.

Local corticosteroid injections used for concerns such as tendinitis are generally considered compatible with breastfeeding and are not expected to cause adverse effects in a breastfed infant.

There is one other piece we think breastfeeding parents should know.

Temporary reductions in milk production have been reported after some corticosteroid injections. These are individual case reports rather than evidence that this happens routinely, but they are still relevant if maintaining your milk supply is important to you.

Tell the clinician performing the injection that you are breastfeeding or pumping and ask about the medication and dose they plan to use. If feeding has already been complicated or supply is something you are watching closely, having an IBCLC you can reach gives you somewhere to turn if anything changes.

You can learn more about lactation and breastfeeding support at Oona or our dedicated Newmarket lactation support.

Ready to book lactation support?

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How to make baby care easier on your wrist

If lifting your baby is when your wrist complains most, start there.

Picture the classic under-the-armpits lift. Your thumbs spread wide, your wrists bend sideways and a surprising amount of your baby’s weight ends up travelling through the small area at the base of your thumb.

Instead, try getting more of your forearms underneath your baby before you lift. Scoop from below, keep your hands more in line with your forearms, bring your baby toward your body and let your elbows and shoulders take more of the load.

It may feel awkward at first because it is different from the movement you have already repeated hundreds of times. That is okay. Nobody is grading the lift.

During feeds

Use enough pillow or blanket support that your wrist is not responsible for holding your baby’s full weight. If you always settle into exactly the same position, changing sides or adjusting the support can help too.

If feeding has also left your shoulders or upper back uncomfortable, Oona physiotherapist Alison Hock demonstrates a simple upper and middle back stretch for pregnancy and postpartum.

With the car seat

Keep the seat close to your body rather than letting its full weight hang from a bent wrist or hooked fingers. For anything longer than a quick trip from the car, using the stroller frame can save your hands a lot of work.

With your phone

If scrolling during a feed is one of the few quiet moments you get, we are not going to tell you to stop. Prop the phone when you can instead of holding it in the sore hand for the whole feed.

With bottles, pumps and stroller handles

Notice how hard you are gripping. When you are tired, rushing or concentrating on your baby, it is very easy for your hands to do much more work than the task actually requires. Try to keep your thumb wrapped around the top of the push bar with the rest of your fingers instead of wrapping it below.

You do not need perfect mechanics. A few easier repetitions across a very repetitive day can make a meaningful difference.

How long does mommy thumb last?

There is no single postpartum timeline.

Pregnancy-related de Quervain’s can improve as hormonal changes settle and the physical demands of early postpartum life change. An older study involving pregnancy and lactation-related de Quervain’s found spontaneous resolution after lactation in most of the patients who had been treated with splinting alone.

That is reassuring, but knowing something may eventually improve does not make lifting your baby today any easier.

If your wrist is mildly uncomfortable and clearly getting better, changing how you use it may be enough. If it keeps flaring, is getting worse, has been painful for weeks or is changing the way you hold and care for your baby, it is reasonable to have it assessed.

You do not need to wait until breastfeeding ends or your baby starts walking.

When should postpartum wrist pain be assessed sooner?

Most thumb side wrist pain after having a baby is not an emergency, but a few situations deserve faster medical assessment.

Please speak with a physician or appropriate medical provider promptly if:

• numbness or tingling is getting worse
• your hand is becoming weak or you are dropping things
• the wrist became painful after a fall or other injury
• the area is becoming hot, red or significantly more swollen
• you also have a fever
• you develop new or significant widespread swelling
• pain is severe enough that safely lifting or caring for your baby is becoming difficult

If significant postpartum swelling is accompanied by concerns such as a severe headache, visual changes, chest pain or shortness of breath, seek urgent medical care.

You do not need to know exactly what the diagnosis is before asking for help.

How we approach postpartum wrist pain at Oona

The first job is not to treat something called mommy thumb. It is to make sure that is actually what is happening.

Thumb side wrist pain can come from more than one structure, so an assessment looks at when the pain started, what sets it off, whether there is any numbness or weakness, how the wrist and thumb move and, importantly, what you need your hand to be able to do comfortably again.

From there, your care may include changes to the movements repeatedly loading the area, advice around splinting or taping, hands-on treatment where appropriate and progressive exercises to rebuild strength.

And because postpartum bodies rarely divide themselves neatly into departments, we may look a little wider too.

If feeding has your shoulders and upper back working overtime, that matters. If you are holding your baby almost entirely on one side, that matters. If your wrist pain is one of several things that have been bothering you since birth, we want to know that too.

Depending on what is going on, care at Oona may include orthopedic physiotherapy, postpartum chiropractic care, registered massage therapy or lactation support.

Our chiropractic team also sees postpartum wrist pain and de Quervain’s, particularly when wrist concerns are happening alongside neck, shoulder or back discomfort.

Postpartum wrist pain in Toronto

At our Toronto clinic, orthopedic physiotherapy is available for wrist pain, repetitive strain concerns and other postpartum aches and injuries.

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Postpartum wrist pain in Newmarket

Our Newmarket clinic also offers orthopedic physiotherapy for musculoskeletal and postpartum concerns, including wrist pain.

If you are looking for broader pregnancy and postpartum support in York Region, you can also read our guide to pregnancy and postpartum care in Newmarket.

Book orthopedic physiotherapy in Newmarket

Not sure who you need?

You do not have to figure that out before you call us.

Tell our Care Navigator where it hurts, when it started and what makes it worse. We can help you work out whether orthopedic physiotherapy, chiropractic care or another type of support makes the most sense, so you are not guessing your way through a booking menu.

Book a free 20-minute Care Navigator call in Toronto
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No referral is needed to book physiotherapy, chiropractic care or registered massage therapy at Oona.

Frequently asked questions about mommy thumb

What is mommy thumb?

Mommy thumb is the common name for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, a painful condition affecting two tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. It commonly appears during pregnancy and postpartum and tends to hurt most with gripping, lifting and certain thumb or wrist movements.

Where does mommy thumb hurt?

Mommy thumb usually causes pain where the thumb meets the wrist. The pain may travel slightly into the thumb or up the forearm and is often aggravated by lifting a baby, gripping, twisting or moving the wrist sideways.

Why does my thumb hurt when I lift my baby?

One possible reason is de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. A common under-the-armpits baby lift spreads the thumb while the wrist bends sideways and carries weight, which can aggravate the tendons involved in mommy thumb. Pregnancy-related fluid and hormonal changes may also contribute to why de Quervain’s is more common during pregnancy and postpartum.

Is mommy thumb caused by hormones or by holding my baby?

Probably both pregnancy-related changes and the new physical workload of caring for a baby contribute. We would not blame one particular lift or holding position. Repeating demanding movements throughout the day is more important than whether any single lift was “wrong.”

How can I tell mommy thumb from carpal tunnel?

Mommy thumb usually causes pain along the thumb side of the wrist, particularly with gripping and lifting. Carpal tunnel is a nerve concern and is more likely to cause numbness, tingling or burning in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger. It is possible to have both.

What type of brace helps mommy thumb?

A thumb spica splint is generally used for de Quervain’s because it supports both the thumb and the wrist. A standard wrist brace leaves more thumb movement available. How long and how often you should wear one depends on your individual wrist and treatment plan.

Will mommy thumb go away on its own?

It can improve over time as postpartum physical and hormonal demands change. That does not mean you have to spend months working around significant pain. If the wrist is not improving, keeps flaring or is making baby care harder, having it assessed can help you work out what needs to change.

Can I get a cortisone injection while breastfeeding?

Local corticosteroid injections for concerns such as tendinitis are generally considered compatible with breastfeeding. Temporary reductions in milk production have occasionally been reported, so tell the clinician performing the injection that you are breastfeeding or pumping and discuss any concerns about supply with them.

Can physiotherapy help mommy thumb?

Orthopedic physiotherapy can assess whether your pain pattern fits de Quervain’s, identify the movements and loads aggravating your wrist and help you gradually restore movement, strength and function. Oona offers orthopedic physiotherapy in Toronto and Newmarket.

Do I need a referral to book at Oona?

No. You can book physiotherapy, chiropractic care or registered massage therapy directly. If you are not sure where to start, book a free 20-minute Care Navigator call and we will help you choose.

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What we want you to remember

Your hands do an extraordinary amount of work after a baby arrives. Feeding, soothing, carrying, buckling, pumping, changing and bathing all depend on them, so when one wrist starts hurting, it can find its way into almost every part of the day.

Pain at the base of your thumb has a name. There are ways to change the load going through it, support it when it needs support and rebuild what it needs to do.

And if those first changes are not enough, there are other treatment options worth discussing.

You do not have to wait until your baby starts walking before your wrist gets some attention.

If your thumb or wrist has been hurting for a few weeks, keeps coming back or is changing the way you lift and care for your baby, that is enough reason to have it looked at.

Ready when you are

If you know you want your wrist assessed, you can book orthopedic physiotherapy directly. If you are still not sure which kind of care makes sense, start with a free Care Navigator call.

Toronto

Book orthopedic physiotherapy in Toronto
Book a free 20-minute Care Navigator call in Toronto

Newmarket

Book orthopedic physiotherapy in Newmarket
Book a free 20-minute Care Navigator call in Newmarket

Keep reading

• How to prepare for postpartum recovery in Toronto and Newmarket
• Pregnancy and postpartum support in Newmarket
• Explore postpartum care at Oona
• Upper and middle back stretches for pregnancy and postpartum
• Orthopedic physiotherapy at Oona
• Pregnancy and postpartum chiropractic care
• Lactation and breastfeeding support

This article is for general educational information and is not a substitute for individual assessment or medical advice from your own regulated health care provider.

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Where this information comes from

1. Bae KJ et al. Incidence and Risk Factors for Pregnancy Related de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis in South Korea. Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery. 2023.
2. Daglan E et al. Risk Factors Associated With de Quervain Tenosynovitis in Postpartum Women. HAND.
3. Read HS et al. Histological appearances in postpartum de Quervain’s disease. Journal of Hand Surgery. 2000.
4. Challoumas D et al. Management of de Quervain Tenosynovitis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta Analysis. JAMA Network Open. 2023.
5. Avci S et al. Comparison of nonsurgical treatment measures for de Quervain’s disease of pregnancy and lactation. Journal of Hand Surgery. 2002.
6. Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed): Triamcinolone. National Library of Medicine.
7. Babwah TJ et al. Temporary suppression of lactation after a local corticosteroid injection for tenosynovitis. European Journal of General Practice. 2013.