A few years ago I studied Well Mother pregnancy massage with Suzanne Yates in Bristol, UK. The course mainly drew my attention because it would enable me to provide Thai yoga massage during pregnancy, this is something that a few of my regulars had been requesting when they became pregnant. I found the course to be one of the best I have attended, it was challenging, intense and interesting.
In my search for inspiration for my blog, I came across my assignment for the course, reading through it I realised it might make a good entry to my blog…its a bit long so I’m going to split it over a couple of blogs. Some of the information about the treatments I provide is a little out of date here as it was written some years ago, but this is more about the approach to treatments during pregnancy, I enjoyed this course so much that I earner a distinction. This project discussed what working with pregnancy as a holistic therapist involves, I hope you find it interesting.
Working with pregnancy as a massage therapist
We are in a time where people are becoming generally more aware that they need to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. Regular bodywork is a great way to help with this, especially during pregnancy where there are more changes and imbalances. The role of a massage or holistic therapist during pregnancy sounds simple but it really should cover a number of areas, the
holistic therapist can be considered a useful part of the support network around the pregnant woman.
On a more personal note, as with holistic therapies in general, in my practice and study over the last few years, I have felt more and more drawn to the area of fertility and pregnancy, I have also had increasing requests for such treatments so I felt it was right for me to gain more knowledge and experience in these areas. When the subject of my current focus comes up in conversation I always
get a slightly puzzled response to this, I have never had a desire to have children myself so why would I be interested in working with those who do? After some reflection, I’m still not sure, but I think it’s sensible to follow your instincts, perhaps as I don’t have the desire myself, it’s my role to support those who do? My other interest in this course was to meet the demand I have noticed in the market for traditional Thai yoga massage in pregnancy, Thai massage is my favourite treatment to provide and receive, I feel that Thai massage is incredibly beneficial during pregnancy, it is practical and great for keeping the joints and muscles moving and in good alignment as well as keeping good balance of energy
flow.
Knowledge, experience and preparation
Before beginning to offer treatments for pregnant women, the first thing to be considered is the importance of knowledge, a therapist should have a good understanding of the anatomy of pregnancy in all stages, as well as the energetic changes and physical effects that may be experienced. Equally if not more important is the knowledge of contra-indications, complications and health issues that may be involve in pregnancy This knowledge will mean that the therapist can
effectively work with the body and its changing needs this is why I felt that the well mother course was an important part of my ongoing training in the world of holistic therapists. I am trained in a number of treatments, Swedish massage, traditional Thai yoga massage, acupuncture, reflexology (please note, I no longer offer this therapy), Indian head massage, all of which can be drawn upon and adapted to work on a futon or in a chair. In my case studies I have found that it was helpful to be flexible within my treatments, it is an approach I have in my work, but I found that more combination treatments work very well in pregnancy. Each treatment requires a more in depth consultation to find out how things are going with the pregnancy and what symptoms are affecting them most at this time. In one of my case studies, the client arrived each time, saying I’m feeling the same, this is because her symptoms were changing so gradually that she hadn’t noticed that the balance was completely different, as we discussed how she was feeling she then started to request different areas of focus and for reflexology or acupuncture to be added in to her treatment. Another case study went through a stage of not being sure if she wanted to continue to lie prone for treatment or switch to side lying, so my room needed to be set up for both. As a therapist it is important to be set up ready for all treatment types, with props for comfort, all equipment to hand and extra towels/ sheets etc.. so that your treatment can be as flexible as possible. A room should always feel like a relaxing place where women can escape and focus on themselves so it is the responsibility of a holistic therapist to contemplate this and set it up appropriately.
CPD
Of course while knowledge and understanding is an essential foundation for all therapists, continual professional development is also very important. There will be areas of your knowledge that don’t get used all the time, these areas of knowledge should be refreshed regularly to ensure mistakes are not made or warning signs missed. Learning is a continuing process by nature, there are always more
approaches and factors to be experienced or read about. It is the responsibility of the holistic therapist to have a plan for future study, a reading list and connect with other therapists in with other perspectives, this is all aiming to enrich and enhance the treatments you provide and keep you focused on your clients changing needs. Personally I have a list and stack of books on different styles of holistic therapies and healing approaches. I also have a plan to attend workshops with Jong Biak education on fertility and weight loss with an eastern approach which I hope will be useful to clients both when planning pregnancy and in the recovery after. I have also looked at courses in Mayan abdominal massage techniques and naturopathic nutrition as future training possibilities to enhance the treatments I offer to my pregnant clients.
Confidentiality.
In all holistic therapies confidentiality is of course essential, but in the area of pregnancy I do feel it needs a special mention. Through the whole process there is naturally more stress and hormones involve than there is in day to day life, there are also more social pressures. Parents should feel that they can feel safe within the confines of your treatment room and relationship with their therapist to express feelings, thoughts, doubts and emotions that may seem wrong or strange but are in fact perfectly natural. A holistic therapist can lend an understanding, non-judgemental ear so that these things can be expressed and the client can be reassured that such feelings are perfectly normal and nothing to feel strange or guilty for.
Where it all begins
I do feel that being a therapist for pregnancy begins with fertility, encouraging good balance and wellbeing for both partners from the beginning can be very helpful. I often find it is very difficult to encourage the father to be to come in for regular treatment, most couples seem to focus on the wellness of the woman, it comes down to the very simple saying “it takes two”. I plan to produce a few leaflets in preparation for encouraging more pregnancy clients in through my doors, one of these will be a leaflet encouraging couples to come in for treatment when they are trying for a baby. “Acupuncture and IVF” (Lifang Liang, O.M.D., Ph D., L.ac.) explains comprehensively how working with the hormonal cycles of both partners and encouraging natural flow of energy with acupuncture and TCM can increase chances of conception by 40 – 60 % . It describes working with IVF, alongside the treatment working to support the systems during the whole process, this is an example of how holistic therapies can go hand in hand with western treatments to increase the potential of the treatment. Acupuncture helps to balance the hormone cycles and energy flow, it can also reduce stress levels, these factors are important for both partners. Stress is a huge factor with fertility, we
live very pressured lives, on top of this many people put incredible pressure on themselves to get pregnant, while most women will openly talk about this stress, men will be more inclined to keep this stress and pressure to themselves as it may suggest a lack of masculinity if they can’t get their partner pregnant. More awareness is needed in this subject especially that holistic therapies can often help to reduce the effects of stress and anxiety. All types of bodywork will aid in fertility, they will all work to reduce stress, relax muscles, realign posture, improve energy flow and circulation which are all very important factors, if a client picks the
treatment that appeals to them most it usually turns out to be the one most suited to their needs. Whatever treatment a client books in for, I always strongly recommend that abdominal massage should be included. We store a lot of emotional tension in the abdominal area, most people have jobs that involve sitting at a desk all day, we are not designed for this and stagnation will build in the abdominal area, tension and stagnation in our systems can restrict blood and energy flow to the reproductive systems, as this is the case abdominal massage is a good way to unwind this tension and encourage circulation of blood and energy. I currently practice anmo fu, which is a Chinese, deep abdominal massage, but at some point I want to research and study Mayan abdominal massage which I understand involves palpating the uterus and can be very helpful with fertility,
correcting tiled uterus and working with hormonal imbalances, it is also useful in early stages of pregnancy to support the uterus, the book “sastun” by Rosita Arvigo, one of the original tutors of this technique has been recommended to me and is now on the top of my future reading list. In aftercare I often recommend that clients read “unwinding the belly” (Allison post) this book talks in detail about the effects of tension and stagnation in the abdomen, it describes breathing exercises and self-massage techniques that can be practised at home. Meditations and visualisations are also very helpful in this and all stages of the journey. All of these things, the self-massage, breathing and meditations are things that a couple can be encouraged to do together, helping the couple to connect and share the experience, it is important as a therapist to watch out for signs that either
parent is isolating themselves with worry about the need to get pregnant and not let their partner down, a little encouragement to keep connected can be very helpful.
To be continued…
This report makes quite a long blog, I felt that this would be a good breaking point, I’ll post the other half next week. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments, and if you are looking for pregnancy massage treatments please feel free to contact me
The Barefoot therapist 