Pregnancy Massage
You’re having a baby, hosting the miracle of life inside your own body. You are growing a brand new person from scratch, your own body is adapting accordingly and don’t you know it?! Your lower back and hips may be giving you restless nights and you are exhausted! Maybe you’ve tried expensive pregnancy pillows, tried stretching and moving but you just can’t get comfortable.
Living in our modern times means that many pregnant women are sitting at a desk for hours on end. Sadly the pregnant body is not adapted to our more sedentary, high tech life styles and the chances are that you are in some sort of discomfort.
Specific soft tissue work to relax the muscles, align the pelvis and release congestion is a great antidote to this.
In pregnancy massage we can look at how:
- The first step to feeling relief from morning sickness/hyperemesis is to rest the whole nervous system
- The key to having your baby in a good position for birth is by working with the alignment and balance in your own body
- A fundamental principle to having an undisturbed birth is to mobilise the pelvis with movement and body work.
- The secret of a good night’s sleep is to calm the whole body-mind experience, as well as good targeted soft tissue work
- Holistic treatment of pelvic girdle pain should include emotional wellbeing as well as your biomechanics
FAQs
Is pregnancy massage safe?
You may be worried as there are some conflicting opinions on the safety of pregnancy physical therapy but the simple answer is: with experienced hands- YES it is! Certain points and positions are avoided at stages in pregnancy. The only consideration is that if you have had a history of early miscarriages- it is best to wait until after 12 weeks but please contact me to discuss this.
What pressure do you use?
Have you been frustrated following a previous pregnancy massage where the pressure was feather light and what you actually wanted was some proper relief from tight knots? If you prefer a stronger massage- then that is what you will get. Equally, if you’ve always preferred a more gentle touch, the treatment will be adapted for you.
Will you massage my abdomen?
Some women find having their bumps massaged quite invasive and others love it. In short, you choose. However, we won’t start abdominal work until you reach the 20 week benchmark. In the third trimester it’s a great way to connect with your baby and encourage her into a good position. I can also teach you a lovely form of self belly massage to practice at home on your own or with your partner.
Can massage induce labour?
If you’re reading this you may well be 40+ weeks and itching to meet your little one. The chances are that you are pretty uncomfortable too. Before answering the question I’m sure that I don’t need to tell you that babies come when babies are ready. Just like the fruit on my apple tree- they all ripen at different times. However, during massage you release oxytocin, a main player in the cocktail of love hormones needed for birth, so you can be sure that if your baby is ready- a treatment will nudge things in the right direction.
“Every pregnant woman knows that while a wonderful state to be in the business of growing a wee human being is also a huge strain on your body and it’s resources.My massages with Bella, during the course of both my pregnancies, helped me and my babies enormously – relieving stress, relieving tired muscles and joints, giving me time to just be in myself registering my body for a while, noticing the changes. It made me feel stronger which helps make being pregnant feel even more wonderful. She totally cured my twitchy legs for several days (sweet relief!) and gave valuable advice about the condition which helped me control it on my own at home between treatments. She is so knowledgable about the entire experience of pregnancy and child birth. I recommend her to everyone I know.”
Zoe, London
Click here to book a treatment
Prices
90 minute treatment- £85
Package of five 90 minute treatments- £400