Postpartum and beyond...
I am mum to three amazing children. In 2017 I was diagnosed with anterior prolapse (bladder prolapse) so I have personal experience of how we can feel let down by our bodies. Because of the diagnosis, I wanted to learn as much as I could about prolapse. I was already in massage practice but needed to know more.
In 2018 I became certified in postpartum corrective exercise through Core Exercise Solutions. In 2018 and 2019 I completed Prenatal Massage Therapy Level 1 & 2 (including high risk/special needs clients and postpartum work). In 2020 I completed my degree in massage therapy, conducting original research into "The perceived benefits and barriers to women accessing postpartum massage and postpartum rehabilitation". I studied the biopsychosocial aspect of prolapse and taught massage therapists about pelvic floor dysfunction.
I am passionate about helping women feel supported, empowered and strong.
Babies and partners are welcome at all sessions. If your baby needs feeding or attending to during the session, that is totally okay.
Please read on for service description.
Postpartum: birth to three-months
The period of time after a woman gives birth is full of wonder and exhaustion. Recovering from birth and looking after another tiny human being (or more than one), plus older children can really take its toll.
Postpartum massage in the early months is tailored towards rest and recovery. Using relaxation techniques, modified to respect your stage in the postpartum journey, postpartum massage will nurture and support you.
It’s all about mothering the mother.
As mums, when we thrive, we help our babies to thrive. Self-care is important and does not have to come at the expense of our babies. Looking after ourselves helps us to meet the needs of our babies more easily.
Postpartum massage at this stage can help to:
Improve sleep
Reduce breastfeeding and birth associated pain and tension
Ease the aches and pains of newborn care and carrying
Gently improve abdominal muscle tone
Activate the mind/body connection
Assist you to gently activate pelvic floor muscles
Relax the system
Provide a safe space to help you to process your birth experience
Improve body and pelvic floor awareness
Postpartum: three-months to forever...
The body undergoes significant physiological changes until weeks 8-10 postpartum. Until this time it is important to modify massage to provide gentle, restorative work to calm and support the system. I like to continue this modification until three months postpartum but this time period is not set in stone, relaxation and restorative care is your right at any point on your postpartum journey.
Pregnancy can lead to physical adaptations in the body that can last for months, years, even decades. There is no time limit to when postpartum massage and postpartum corrective exercise can benefit you. If we have ever been pregnant, then we are "postpartum…"
Working to reduce these physical adaptations can help to strengthen you, in all phases of your life, postpartum and beyond...
Using massage and specific exercises I will help you to improve mind/body connection, targeting abdominals, glutes and more. With postpartum corrective exercises, I will help you to strengthen the abdominals and strengthen or relax your pelvic floor, working with the diaphragm and the breath.