Wrist Ergonomics for New Mothers: Preventing Mommy Thumb
This one-page handout gives new mothers four simple ways to protect their wrists and hands during the lifting, feeding, and holding that come with caring for a baby. In plain language, it explains how these repeated tasks can lead to pain or overuse injuries. One example is De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, often called “mommy thumb,” which is painful irritation of the tendons along the thumb side of the wrist.
Use it when a postpartum client mentions wrist or thumb pain, or as a prevention tool with new mothers before symptoms start. The handout was developed with Rachel Egan, OTR/L, MS, CHT, COMT-UE, a Certified Hand Therapist who specializes in the upper extremity.
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The handout fits wherever you see new parents, including outpatient hand therapy and maternal health practices. Add it to the home program for a client already being treated for De Quervain’s or other wrist pain. It also works as a prevention handout early in the postpartum period. If a partner or family member shares the lifting and feeding, the same strategies apply to them, so the handout can support a caregiver conversation too.
Instructions and Tips
Walk through the four tips with the client instead of handing the sheet over on its own. The neutral-wrist lift in tip 1 is easier to show than describe. Demonstrate it, have the client practice with a doll or a similar-weight object, and watch for the wrist bending toward the pinkie side. For tips 2 and 3, help the client arrange pillows or rolled towels in the chair she actually feeds the baby in.
End with the “Remember” box at the bottom. It tells clients that pain isn’t something they have to live with, and it points them to their healthcare provider or occupational therapist if they notice wrist pain, numbness, or trouble with daily tasks. That’s a natural point to ask about any symptoms she already has.
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