Throughout your journey to motherhood your physical and emotional body embark on a tremendous transformation. One of the beauties of pregnancy and birth is that a woman’s body is so perfectly designed to grow and open to allow a baby to develop and birth.
This is not to say that pregnancy and birth do not come without discomforts. In fact, there are some common pregnancy complaints as the body is constantly trying to adjust to a growing baby and emotionally prepare for childbirth. A skilled prenatal massage therapist is able to recognize and address your physical imbalances helping to relieve your pregnancy related aches and pains and help you cope with the discomforts of pregnancy and childbirth.
What Prenatal Massage Can Address
•Nausea and/or Vomiting
•Back/ Hip pain
•Muscle Tension
•Carpal tunnel
•Muscle Cramps
•Sciatica
•Swelling
•Broad or Round Ligament pain
•Fatigue
•Stress
•Cesarean Scaring
•Trouble sleeping
•Pelvic Pain
•Depression & Anxiety
•Acid Indigestion
•Shortness of breath
•Constipation/Diarrhea
•Hemorrhoids
•Incontinence
•Hypertension
•Malposition of Baby(s)
•Increases a mothers sense of calm and enhances relaxation during labor
•Distracts mothers from sensations of labor
•Eases back ache, tension, and stress during labor
What to expect
I allow extra time before your massage to discuss your health, concerns or fears, birth preparation, postpartum needs, and to share community referrals for additional support. My prenatal massages are uniquely designed and tailored to meet your specific needs, leaving you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
When to receive pregnancy massage
A healthy woman may receive prenatal massage throughout her entire pregnancy, from when she first discovers she is pregnant to moments before she births her baby.
I recommend that you receive prenatal massage every 2-4 weeks throughout your first and second trimester and then every 1-2 weeks in the last few months to help your body adjust to your growing baby and to prepare your body for childbirth.
Benefits of Prenatal Massage
•Increases circulation
•Promotes deep relaxation
•Eases anxiety and reduces depression
•Increases the mother baby bond
•Reduces upper and lower back, pelvic, and hip pain
•Improves the oxygenation of soft tissue and muscles
•Regulates Hormones
•Increases Immunity
•Helps keep blood pressure in check
•Assists in maintaining good posture and helps women adjust to the continuous realignment as the baby grows
•Reduces Edema
•Improves Nerve pain, including sciatic pain
•Improves labor outcomes and newborn health
•Improves digestion and relieves acid indigestion
•Improves skin elasticity
•Reduces headaches
•Enhances sleep
•Relieves leg cramps
•Reduces Fatigue
•Alleviates stress on weight-bearing joints
•Offers a natural relief to the discomforts of labor
•Provides emotional support and nurturing touch during pregnancy and childbirth
Mother’s Positioning
I have various cushions and pillows to support both mother and baby during pregnancy and postpartum.
You may find that during each visit I may vary your position to address your specific area of need and to best support your changing body.
• Pregnancy Wedges: Used to allow a woman to lay on her back at a 45-degree angle with her ankles and feet propped up.
• Body Pillow: Used to support a woman in a side-lying position.
Uterine Massage
The uterus is an extraordinary muscular organ that undergoes a process of thickening and stretching as your baby grows and then works incredibly hard by contracting and retracting to bring your baby into this world.
Massage can help your body release any tension or restrictions within your pelvis as your baby grows by addressing the uterus, its broad and round ligaments, abdominal muscles, and the stretching skin of your belly. Belly massage using slow soothing massage strokes will help calm you and relax you and your baby.
Overdue Babies, Can Massage Help?
Massage is helpful to mothers who are anxious or feeling pressure from care providers to induce at 41+ weeks. Massage can help a mother relax, release tension from her muscles and help create an overall sense of calm.
By using Acupressure, Reflexology, visualizations, uterine massage, and some Maya Abdominal techniques a skilled therapist can help an expectant mom prepare her body for birth. The more relaxed and safe a mother feels the more likely for her body to begin the birth process. I love to call this type of massage Ready, Set, Go!
Babies Optimal Positioning
Prenatal massage can help encourage babies to assume an optimal position for birth. I am trained to help you release restrictions and restore balance within your sacrum, pelvis, uterus, and pelvic floor. By encouraging your body to open and relax, your baby may have more room to move and adjust within the pelvis and uterus, finding his or her optimal position for birth.
Pelvic Floor Release
When the muscles of a mother’s hips, pelvis, and pelvic floor are relaxed and in proper alignment, it is easier for babies to assume a proper position and move smoothly through the birth canal during the birth process.
The pelvic floor release is a technique that I incorporate into our session to help open and soften the pelvic floor muscles. It is best performed in the third trimester or earlier if a women has history with labor dystocia or had a baby who was, occiput posterior, asynclitic, or “stuck” in a previous labor.
Birth trauma/ loss of a baby
I offer space for women to be able to process trauma or loss in a healthy way by offering physical, verbal, and energetic support throughout your treatment.
Visualizations
The mind is a powerful tool; the process of creating and visualizing a positive mental image can in turn manifest a physical response. Often I will use a visualization to encourage the body to open and prepare for birth or to release and restore balance.
Positive Affirmations
Our words, thoughts and emotions create our reality. That being so, I have found that by encouraging women to create an affirmation or mantra to use during their massage it most often promotes a sense of complete rest and relaxation.