Maternity Reflexology
Has been shown to be highly effective in reducing stress and anxiety, a major factor in infertility.
Promotes energetic balancing of body systems, creating optimal conditions for conception, pregnancy, and birth.
May also ease many minor ailments of pregnancy.
May be helpful in reducing the level of toxins, moderate edema and high blood pressure, as well as the time spent in labor.
Feels wonderful for the new mother, or mother-to-be, while providing a healing sense of touch.
Question & Concerns
Are there any adverse reactions?
If you have a build up of toxins (from poor diet, lack of hydration, sleep, exercise, etc.), your feet will feel congested and may be sensitive during the session. It is not uncommon to have changes in bowel and bladder activity, and possible some lethargy or even flu-like symptoms in 24 hours following the session as your body eliminates toxins. This will typically occur only after the first one or two sessions, and simply means that the reflexology is working to achieve a balance in your body, which ultimately provides a better environment for both conception and sustaining the fetus.
Are the sessions painful, or can they be?
A session should always feel very relaxing and comfortable. The intention is to relieve stress and tension, not add to it. However, as noted above, if you have any underlying health issues, they may show up as tender areas of congestion on the feet. As reflexologists, we work out the tender areas in order to recreate a balance within the body and improve blood supply to areas in need.
Is reflexology like massage?
Like massage, reflexology is touch therapy. But we refer to maps, and use alternating pressure with thumbs and fingers, along with relaxation techniques. The theory, techniques, and results are very different. Although reflexology should feel good, I will be looking for clues as to your overall health in the form of tender reflex areas. Sometimes there are more questions or discussion during a session in order to address any areas of concern.
Do I need to get permission from my obsetrician first?
Yes. It’s important that your obstetric caregiver gives his/her permission. With some more serious medical conditions, reflexology will need to be prescribed by your doctor. You will also need to fill out a Maternity Health Questionnaire before your first visit.
How will I feel after a session?
Because our bodies are unique, so are the reactions to a session. Generally, you should feel great after a session. “Balanced; more energetic; very relaxed; an overall good feeling; like a mini body massage” …these are just a few descriptions clients have used after a session.
How long are the sessions?
The length of a session depends on the client’s specific health issues, but most average around one hour at most. The length of a session is also up to the client.
Is reflexology ok throughout the entire pregnancy?
Absolutely. Although more precautions are taken in the first trimester of pregnancy, women can benefit from reflexology before conception, through pregnancy, delivery, the post partum period and beyond! The baby can also benefit from a few brief sessions, as well as having “mommy or daddy” learn a few techniques to use on their baby.
Reflexology can be helpful during miscarriage as well as it provides a healing comfort for the client as well as bringing the body back into balance.
Can reflexology cause a miscarriage?
No! There are acupuncture points in the ankles and lower legs that may cause uterine contractions when stimulated with needles. Many midwives believe that chromosomal abnormalities are the cause of early (1st trimester) miscarriage. But Maternity Reflexology has never been implicated in spontaneous abortion or early delivery.
Can my husband or partner benefit?
Yes. Ideally both partners should be included in preconceptual reflexology, as both the parents and the pregnancy will benefit from better health and wellbeing.
How many sessions are recomended; or how often?
This is going to differ from one individual to the next, but ideally weekly sessions (or at least every other week) are recommended. The number of sessions will be based on how well you respond to the sessions.
Maternity Massage
Pregnancy is a time of changes, some eagerly embraced, and others less welcome. Your entire body adapts to the new life growing within you. You also face important life changes at home or at work, with family or friends. You need and deserve support, especially since two people now depends on your health and vitality.
Massage is a wonderful way to relax, increase your energy, and relieve discomfort during your pregnancy. The caring touch of massage can help you experience your changing body in a positive, accepting way. Massage can also be something special for you at a time when so much of your attention is on the baby to come.
Is massage for you
Massage cannot completely relieve the discomforts of pregnancy. After your massage, the extra weight is still there, the hormonal changes are still happening, and the stresses of your life are right where you left them.
However, regular massage during your pregnancy and postpartum weeks can relieve your physical symptoms and help you cope with stress. Because it supports your physical health and vitality, massage can help you more easily adjust to the many changes in your body and the demands of your new life. Just taking time out for a massage can improve your outlook on life, making everything seem easier during this time of so many changes.
Coping with stress and fatigue
Change, even welcome change, is stressful. The tension caused by stress, along with the physical changes of pregnancy, can sap your energy for coping day-to-day. A soothing massage can relieve physical and emotional tension, help you sleep better, and boost your energy.
Massage loosens tight muscles and calms the nervous system. It also increases circulation, bringing energy-producing nutrient to your cells and carrying away listless. In a massage, you also become more aware of your body, which helps you recognize tension as it builds during the day and consciously release it.
Easing aches and pains
Massage can help with many of the aches and pains you experience as your body changes during pregnancy. Massage can:
- Relieve pain in your muscles and joints that might support added and redistributed weight;
- Increase flexibility, making it easier for your body to adjust to a changing shape;
- Ease constipation, gas and heartburn as general relaxation stimulates intestinal movement;
- Reduce excess fluid retention by gently pushing fluid into circulation where it can be eliminated;
- Slow the progress of varicose veins as enhanced circulation lowers pressure on bulging veins;
- Relieve headaches caused by tension, constipation, or buildup of metabolic waste products.
Learning self-care techniques
Besides the immediate relief you get from a massage, you may also learn ways to make yourself more comfortable at home. You may find ways to use pillows for support when you are lying down. Your massage therapist might give you feedback on your posture or suggest gentle exercises and stretches to help relieve tension. You might also learn breathing techniques to help you relax.
Is massage always appropriate?
Massage is healthful and enjoyable during a normal pregnancy. However, because massage is not appropriate for some conditions, your massage therapist will want to know about your general health and your pregnancy. Give as much information as you can and always tell your massage therapist about any changes, even if you are not sure they are important. Remember, any condition you have now affects two people, one of whom is very small.
Preparing for labor
Massage can help you prepare for the birthing process in at least two ways. First, through massage you can increase your awareness of tension in your body and learn how to consciously release it. You can also prepare for labor by practicing focus, breathing and relaxation techniques while a tender area is being massaged. The result will be increase confidence and control during labor.
Massage during labor
Massage is part of the birthing process in virtually all tribal cultures of the world. It can help you relax between contractions, reduce pain from tight muscles, and provide emotional support and encouragement. Because stress interferes with production in labor-inducing hormones, there is even evidence that massage can promote a speediest birth.
You can make arrangement in advanced to try to have your massage therapist present at your labor. As an alternative, you may want to share with your birthing partner some massage techniques you find relaxing. Your massage therapist may be able to suggest a massage class for you and your partner, or may even be willing to meet with you for a private lesson.
Postpartum massage
The postpartum period, nature sets about undoing in eight weeks what it took nine months to create. It is as important to care for yourself now as during your pregnancy.
Massage can help you handle the physical demands of caring for a newborn by reducing tension and increasing energy. A relaxing massage can help since tension interferes with milk letdown. Massage can nurture and comfort you whether or not you are experiencing postpartum “blues”.
When to schedule your first postpartum massage depends on how your delivery went and what your health care provider advises. Ask about what is best for you. At this time your ‘New Born’ can be in the room with you during your massage.
Pregnancy & Aromatherapy
“It was very difficult to compile a list of oils and products to be avoided during pregnancy. Each aromatologist has a different opinion. We feel that an oil this is unsafe is an oil that has been adulterated or one that is used improperly. Oils that are diluted, applied externally in moderation should not create a problem. This list is a complication of safety data contained in aromatherapy books written by the following authors: Ann Berwick, Julia Lawless, Shirley & Len Price, Jeanne Rose, Robert Tisserand, and Tony Balacs.”
During pregnancy beware the following aromatherapy essential oils:
Single Oils (AVOID During Pregnancy):
Basil, birch, calamus, cassia, cinnamon bark, hyssop,
Idaho tansy, lavandin, rosemary, sage, tarragon
Single Oils (Use CAUSIOUSLY During Pregnancy):
Angelica, cedarwood, chamomile (German/Blue), cistus,
citronella, Clary sage, clove bud, cumin (Black), cypress,
dacana, fennel, laurel, marjoram, Mountain savory, myrrh,
nutmeg, peppermint, rose, spearmint, vetiver, yarrow
Infant Massage
As a parent, loving relative, or caregiver of an infant, you want to see your child flourish. Touch is as important as food for healthy mental and physical development – a fact clearly supported by both ancient tradition and contemporary research. Massage is attentive, pleasurable touch that can promote your baby’s well-being while increasing your ability to respond to his or her needs.
Bonding with your baby
Bonding, that unique and close attachment between you and your child is enhanced with the observant and sensitive care of massage. The elements of bonding are inherent in infant massage: eye contact, skin contact, smiles, soothing sounds, smell, and loving communication. Responding to your baby’s smiles, frowns, and squirms in this comforting way can reinforce the trust between the two of you, a trust which can provide the foundation of your relationship for years to come.
For fathers, massage offers a special opportunity to develop ease and intimacy with their children. This holds true for grandparents or other relatives, professional caregivers, anyone wishing to develop closeness with babies in their care and to help them thrive.
Research tells the story
The positive effects of infant massage have been well researched in studies such as those sponsored by UNICEF and the University of Miami School of Medicine. Among the results of the major studies are:
Children and infants who were massaged showed improved sleeping patterns, diminished anxious behavior and significantly reduced stress indicators such as heart rate and stress hormone levels.
Premature babies, who were regularly massaged gained weight faster, performed better on developmental tasks, acquired mental and motor skills earlier, and were more relaxed than non-massaged babies. Early touch also benefited the developing nervous systems of these infants.
In India, where infant massage has passed down through generations, studies showed that babies massaged by their mothers developed both mentally and physically well beyond normal expectations given their malnourished condition.
Institutionalized infants who received extra touch developed visual attentiveness earlier than babies who didn’t. Visually impaired babies whose parents touched them early and often were able to reach toward sounds sooner than other babies.
Nurturing your older child
It’s never too late to make massage a part of your child’s life. Massage can calm children during emotional upsets and relieve the discomforts of illness. It can also help ease the pain of tension headaches and muscle aches or cramps. Children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity who receive massage often concentrate better, cry less, and sleep better.
Over time, receiving massage can help a child create a more positive body image and enhance emotional security. It can help teach them the importance of self-nurturing and preventive health care at an early age.
If your baby has special needs
If you are the parent of an infant with special needs, your child may communicate her or his needs differently than other babies. Giving a focused massage allows you to learn more about your baby’s unique signals. Massage may also help your baby cope with the physical stresses or disabilities she or he may have to live with.
For drug-exposed infants, massage relieves tension and pain, helping these babies shifts their attention from physical discomfort to pleasurable experience. Their weight gain also increases with daily massage.
Parent to parent
When you ask parents why they massage their infants, here’s what they talk about:
Sleep. Babies who are massaged sleep better, and are calmer and more alert when awake.
Physical Comfort. Massage stimulates digestion and eliminations. I can also reduce the discomfort of teething and colds, and help calm fussy babies.
Relaxation. Both normal discomforts and your baby’s need to constantly respond to new experiences can lead to muscle tension and unease. Massage can help your baby let go of tension and relax.
Giving massage benefits you, too
Giving massage can build your understanding of your baby’s cues and your confidence in caring for him or her. You may feel more satisfied both with the quality of time you spend with your infant and with your increased ability to help your child relax in times of stress. You may even find your own tension eased as you perform the gentle movements with your infant.
