That’s not a thumbs up.  Not too long ago I wrote a post about my achy wrist.  I was prepared to get x-rays at my doctor’s appointment, but instead the nurse practitioner asked me to describe my pain and then proceeded to have me hold it out like I was going to shake someone’s hand and then bent my wrist down. I squealed and she immediately diagnosed my ailment as “mommy thumb,” aka, thumb extensor tendinitis. She told me it’s all too common and is a result of handling the baby and overworking the wrist and thumb — like when you scoop up your nugget under their arms, that’s a strain on your precious thumb. Hmmm, wish I had known that this might happen because I wouldn’t have kept ignoring the pain.  For some reason, even though I’m thirty-frickin’-seven, I think I am invincible. That I don’t have to worry about joint pain, back issues, and dislocating stuff (not talking about my sunglasses or keys). I would definitely advise new mamas to be hyper aware of how you sit when breastfeeding: don’t hunch over and use a firm pillow so that you’re sitting up as straight as possible, don’t hold your baby’s head so tightly to breastfeed (I would hold Luna’s newborn head up against my breast so firmly so she would keep her latch and I’m pretty sure that’s what started this whole mess), stretch all parts of your body whenever you can, and try not to use your wrists so dang much (haven’t got that one completely figured out yet, but forearms and elbows might be the new wrist).  If you think you might have this condition and would rather spend the co-pay on a nice lunch, then read this article. It’s pretty much what the n.p. ordered. I’ve been following it loosely and it’s getting a teeny bit better.  I also found this Mommy Thumb news clip to be somewhat helpful.  They say it’ll take about 6 weeks to fully heal.  Yay.