Nurturing Mothers-To-Be

Welcome to the second edition of "From Belly to Baby"! We are the information and resource publication for mothers-to-be and new mothers alike, bringing you information about health care and self-care opportunities in the Ottawa area. This month, we are launching a our website frombellytobaby.ca and a Facebook group to encourage readers to share their stories, ask us questions, and find the resources they need for pre and post pregnancy health.

As a registered massage therapist, I feel privileged to work with women during their pregnancy, and offer a service that both nurtures the spirit and relieves physical aches and pain. Each woman is going through her own body's unique response to this physically demanding task of creating a baby. I see it in the eyes of the tired mothers-to-be on my massage table, snuggling into a stack of pillows and blankets, trying not to fall asleep as they achieve one more thing on their long list of trying to do their pregnancy right.

In my opinion, there is no right way to be during pregnancy. If you need to know details, and want to do research, there is a plethora of information to dive into: books, Internet, educational courses, specialists, etc. If you want to take this opportunity to be at peace and let nature take its course, you can rest assured that by being in the care of a health practitioner, you will be able to identify any risks or concerns in your personal case as soon as they arise. To learn more about the practitioners that support women through the process of pregnancy (midwives, doulas, naturopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, physiotherapists and more) visit our website to find links to professional organizations, along with archived editions of our journal. Finding your way to being empowered during pregnancy is a path only you can trail-blaze, and finding some degree of confidence is the support that all your network of caring witnesses ultimately wishes for you.

I believe that in caring for a mother of any age, most especially a mother-to-be, there is a direct and lasting impact on our whole community. Nurturing is a loving gift of selflessness, and awakening that in the people who care for the youngest generation in our world most certainly will result in our best possible future. Parenting is the most important, difficult and rewarding job there can be!

Massage Therapy offers many benefits during pregnancy. When seeking care from a massage therapist, it is helpful if you let the therapist know your stage of pregnancy when booking, so that we can pre-set our treatment table for comfortable side-lying for a woman who is beyond 6 months. As a clinic that specializes in prenatal care, we offer full care packages that include several massage therapy sessions and prenatal yoga classes.

At your first booking, a massage therapist will want to know if you have had any complications, and generally how you are feeling about yourself in regards to your pregnancy. Some prenatal clients I see have been recommended to try massage therapy to help them address pain symptoms such as sciatic nerve irritation, swelling of the legs and other myofascial discomforts in the back, hips or thighs. Beyond basic health history review, your current needs and physical aches are of the utmost importance to your therapist. Most prenatal clients I see benefit from a massage that focuses on treating the back, hips and legs while laying in a specially designed cushion for side-lying. To treat the neck and shoulders, I ask the woman to turn onto her back, while large wedge-shaped pillows support her in a semi-reclined position. This allows the heart to remain above the legs, so breathing is easier and there is no pressure on any large veins from the legs. Support behind the neck can be as simple as folding a pillow, or rolling a towel to let the chin drop and the back of the neck to lengthen. Positioning with pillows in the later stages of pregnancy is often the most significant homework that a massage client takes from a session, and I have often been told that the pillowing I provide on the massage table offers the most comfortable relief that she has experienced in days!

Anybody can book a massage therapy appointment - you do not have to be referred or have an existing pain condition to benefit. Prenatal clients are often interested in relaxing and preventing intense labour when booking a series of massage therapy sessions. High-risk pregnancies, and clients with existing painful conditions, will be looking for an experienced therapist that specializes in prenatal care. Not all massage therapists are comfortable with prenatal massage, but there are many who are absolutely all about it! I am lucky to work with a group of therapists that all thrive on the excitement of offering massage to prenatal clients. There is wonderment in watching the progress of a prenatal client, and the joy that presents to us all with the news that a client has given birth. Two of our massage therapists at Metta Massage & Yoga Clinic are off on maternity leave this season, and one has young twins herself! The rest of us look forward to having a family one day.

Massage techniques are modified to cause less stress on the muscles, because relaxin and other hormones of pregnancy allow your body and its joints to more readily stretch in the later stages of pregnancy. Deep tissue massage and intense stretching are not recommended during pregnancy. However, deep tissue techniques applied for less time and with less pressure can provide similar results to the low back and hip muscles on prenatal clients. Massage techniques that focus on returning venous blood to the heart can help relieve swelling in the legs, and in the arms massage therapy techniques can reduce symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Clinical studies in massage relate to the increase of circulation in the area treated, and the return of deoxygenated venous blood to the heart. This process of massage aids in moving the circulatory fluid through lymph nodes, heart and lungs, providing nutrients and oxygen to the tissue, while removing toxins and debris through the lungs and liver. Arterial blood flow moving from the heart to the body contains the oxygen and nutrients that every cell requires for health. The end products of healthy cellular metabolism are carbon dioxide, lactic acid and various wastes and proteins. Waste products are continually sent out of the cell, and the fluid around the cell provides the oxygen and nutrients, therefore massage therapy aids in maintaining proper flow of the waste products out of an area, which if built up, can cause tension and disease. These circulatory improvements are measurable and scientifically proven. Therapeutic techniques can help relieve pain, increase range of motion, and improve other measurable physiological changes.

How can one measure the result of safe touch and nurturing mixed with effective techniques in massage therapy? Communication, compassion and a kind approach to client care perhaps cannot be measured, but assuredly are the strongest factors in reasons why massage clients return again for effective massage therapy treatment.

Our clinic also offers supervised prenatal yoga classes. A prenatal yoga class offers pregnant women a way to incorporate gentle exercise with yoga postures that are modified using pillows and props for proper alignment and comfort as their bodies change. Being in a group of other mothers-to-be offers a supportive environment and sense of community unique to those currently experiencing pregnancy. As you may imagine, combining prenatal yoga with therapeutic massage can go a long way in ensuring that your pregnancy is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

For a safe and sound approach to massage therapy and yoga, visit Metta Massage & Yoga Clinic, or find a qualified professional in your area, using the provincial Massage Therapy Association website (www.omta.ca).

We hope you enjoy this edition of From Belly to Baby, and look forward to hearing from you!