post natal massage
when mothers need it most
You’ve recently given birth or have had a baby in the last year. Congratulations! This is an intense time of two truths. It can be wonderful and exhausting, joyful and painful, confidence building and bewildering, utterly magical and devastatingly difficult.
Balancing your baby’s needs with your own is a unique challenge that only mothers understand. It takes a village and so many mothers live in the realisation that they don’t have one. Even if you have a attentive partner or family member who cooks you lovely meals or holds your baby so you can get some shut eye, food, sleep and practical help can only take your healing so far.
It can be easier to make time and space for ourselves to receive massage or wellbeing therapies during pregnancy, particularly if it’s our first child when we may feel less guilty about making ourselves a priority. We can very easily neglect ourselves when there is a tiny person we are responsible for and there doesn’t seem to be the time to fit it all in.
But the truth is you cannot give from an empty vessel. In order for you to give unlimited love to your little one, your own sustenance pot needs filling too.
make space to heal
you can receive post natal massage as soon as you feel ready and in the early days after birth it can be a wonderful break from the intensity and support your body to heal and restore after giving so much.
a sweet blessing for exhausted mothers
During this time after birth when your serotonin (the neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of wellness) levels are low it’s so vital for mothers to benefit from as much Oxytocin (your feel good bonding hormone that flows freely when you cuddle or feed your baby) as possible. A beautiful way to generate Oxytocin and to counteract so much of the daily stress and challenge of motherhood is to receive a deeply soothing massage.
Post natal massage has been described to me as ‘the sweet blessing’ for exhausted new mums of deep deep rest possible when given space and one-to-one therapeutic care.
space and time to adjust
The struggle of giving your baby care whilst managing cracked nipples, sore breast feeding shoulders, c-section scars, episiotomy, haemorrhoids, lower back pain, sleeplessness….you know I could go on… takes effort.
After birth you are simply not the same. Your abdominal organs have shifted massively and need loving care to return to their new normal which is vital for good digestion, bowel movements and generally feeling yourself again. Whatever your experience, space to actively process your birth with experienced support and care is a rare and precious thing in our culture. It can have a profoundly restorative and healing effect on your tender and worn out post natal body-mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m worried about leaving my baby, what can I do?
You and your baby have maybe had little time apart and the idea of being separated for a couple of hours might not be one you are quite ready for. That’s ok. Fear not, there are two ways around this; you are welcome to bring your partner or a friend to look after your little one while you have your treatment or if you’d rather you can bring your baby in a safe seat or carrier and we can work alongside them and adjust accordingly. One way or another, it always works out.
How soon after having my baby can I have a massage?
You may be feeling particularly and understandably fragile after the birth of your baby and worried that massage could make it worse. Rest assured that you can come as soon as you feel ready, in the first days and weeks of becoming a mother the treatment will be gentle, following your body’s own pace.
What if i’ve had a cesarian?
You can still enjoy postnatal massage after a C-Section. We wont do any direct work on your belly until after 6 weeks and you can be side lying for comfort to receive back work until your wound has healed. After you have been signed off by your midwife we can do specific scar work if you desire.