Breastfeeding & relaxin?

[leoheart]

My 3rd baby is just over one year old, and I have been having recurring, painful tendonitis & ligament issues (in the wrist, ankle, and my SI joint seems chronically out of joint if you kwim). I have seen a chiro, and a few physios, all with no improvement. A couple of practitioners have mentioned to me that as long as I'm breastfeeding I'll have elevated relaxin levels and the tenonitis etc., will continue to be a problem. I've looked around and can't find any scientific articles/studies/evidence that this is true (that bfing means more relaxin). When I questioned them, they just said that was what they'd been taught, but they hadn't actually seen/read any studies. Wha? It's kind of annoying that they're passing on info that might encourage people to wean, with no direct knowledge that that might actually help.

Does anyone out there know? Not that I'm planning to wean, but if weaning could be a magical cure, then at least I'd have something to look forward to down the road! As it is, I'm fed up, and grumpy from being in pain all the time

[mariekitt24]

I believe it is true that you will have elevated relaxin levels as long as you are breastfeeding. I know personally I've been enjoying constant heartburn because of that same thing, and here I was so looking forward to that going away after I gave birth! ugh. I think that you will experience relief when you wean too. I was worried I was going to have heartburn forever, until I was informed that my body was still producing relaxin thus causing whatever it is that keeps the acid down to relax.