Postnatal Care Through Massage

Even the easiest of pregnancies can be hugely demanding on the body and cause wear and tear. Whilst pregnant, you may have booked a specially tailored pre-natal pregnancy massage to help with common aches and pains. However, during the postnatal phase after giving birth, especially during the first 6 weeks, a mother’s life is often more difficult than during the pregnancy.

Postnatal Care

Immediately after giving birth your body is still in the process of recovery and needs rest. But most of your days (and nights) are often spent actively caring for your newborn and any other existing young children. The demands on new mothers are so huge that many people suffer a period of postnatal depression and anxiety.

Exercise and Massage

Regular exercise and postnatal massage can not only help alleviate post-pregnancy aches and pains but importantly can also reduce stress and anxiety. Increased serotonin levels can mean you feel happier and calmer, with tomorrow feeling just that little bit more manageable.

C-sections 

If you have had a natural birth then most types of massage treatment are suitable immediately after delivery. However, if you have had a Caesarean delivery, we recommend that you check with your doctor before booking any type of treatment, as a C-section sometimes means your body should be left to recover on its own for a short while before applying any complementary therapies. Subject to your doctor’s advice, it is usually fine to book a massage around two weeks after a Caesarean delivery.

Postnatal Pains 

Post birth, you will still be carrying much of the extra weight which you will have gained as a result of your pregnancy and also cradling your newborn for several hours of each day (and night!). Add in exhaustion from a lack of sleep, the constant concerns that your new baby is continuously well cared for, possible strains and tears from labour … and it is no surprise that many postnatal mothers feel they need a massage even more than they did whilst pregnant. 

The most common complaints we hear from new mothers are backaches, headaches and difficulty in sleeping. Our relaxing classic Swedish massage and Jet Lag massage are great choices for helping send you off to sleep and a deep tissue massage can be just the ticket when you need to have particular lower back muscles worked on to relieve tightness and tension which may have accumulated during the preceding 9 months.

Joy Ahead

A newborn baby often brings huge amounts of joy into a household. This is often also accompanied by increased stress levels and ongoing frustrations as various family members get to grips with a significantly changed environment. A series of well timed relaxation massages during these first few frantic months can really help soothe the atmosphere in the whole home. A calmer atmosphere benefits not only mummy, but also the new baby and other family members. Dad will very likely appreciate a massage too! 

Since a mobile massage therapist will visit you in the comfort of your own home, you don’t need to worry about travelling to a spa or where you will put your baby. As well as having an empathetic professional therapist visit you to massage you better, it is a lovely feeling to have another caring human in the house for an hour or two that can let you know if the baby wakes up and needs your attention, even if you do drift off into a well deserved snooze.