A 31 yo woman with 2 children (4.5 yo & 2 yo), has been nursing for 4.5
yrs.  She nursed through her second pregnancy & tandem nursed consistently
for 10 months after the birth of baby #2, stopped tandem nursing for 8
months, and now tandem nurses 1-2x/week on a prn basis--mom decides on the
times of need.
  The younger son shows no signs of weaning, and the couple would like to
have a third child.  Mom feels that it would be physiologically better for
her body if she waits for her second child to wean before becoming pregnant
again.  A complication is that mom has osteoarthritis, and her second
pregancy was accompanied by a lot of hip pain.
  She began taking glucosamine sulfate in Jan. 1998 (second son was almost 1
yo) and took it for about 6 months.  She began to get some relief from pain
after about 3 months.  About 4 months after stopping glocosamine sulfate,
she had recurrence of pain, which got progressively worse.  Now, when she
gets up each morning, her right hip & knee hurt, and it takes about an hour
for her to comfortably walk. In addition, both wrists hurt throughout the day.
  Her question is:  Does a bf woman with known osteoarthritis benefit from
complete weaning between pregnancies?  If so, for how long?
Thanks for your insights.
Sara Reuning in Bristol, TN