Maternity Reflexology
Pregnancy is one of the most exciting and special times in your life and also one where the body undergoes huge physical and emotional changes as your baby develops and grows. Nothing can quite prepare you for this exciting journey.It is during this period that you are likely to be much more aware of your body and how it works, what it does and doesn’t like. So, what could be better than finding a great way to help you cope with these changes in a gentle and supportive way, looking not only after you, but also your unborn baby.
Reflexology, an ancient therapy for modern times, is gaining increasing popularity in the maternity sector. Treatments at any time in your pregnancy can be tailored to suit your specific needs or just help you to totally relax and chill. During the first few weeks, you are going through enormous changes, physically and emotionally. You are excited at discovering you are expecting, but those surging hormones are playing havoc. Energy levels are up and down and you may be suffering from nausea as the developing embryo takes all its vital nutrients from you. Treatments at this point help your body rebalance itself, particularly calming the digestive and nervous systems, as your body begins to adjust to its new state.
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As your pregnancy progresses, regular treatments can ease problems such as heartburn and reflux, backache, fluid retention (make sure you drink plenty of still water), symphysis pubis disfunction, shortness of breath, disturbed sleep, digestive problems such as IBS, and much more.
Weekly treatments, particularly in the last six weeks leading up to due date, can help shorten labour time and decrease labour pain. It is also at this stage in your pregnancy, when you may not be feeling all that comfortable, that your energy levels are once again up and down. Disturbed sleep and hormonal changes in these last few weeks can again cause emotional swings.
Learning to totally relax and focus on the quiet space within is the key to having a good labour. As reflexology also works on an emotional and not just physical level, it helps to calm and still the mind and stop those unwanted thoughts and fears about what will happen if you go past your due date, whether you will be able to cope with the birth, how will you manage when you get home and so on…
Finding inner peace is vital to helping you go into labour as anxiousness creates physical tension which puts the brakes on everything. A treatment in the early stages of labour, can help with pain relief and getting labour properly established.
Research shows that babies born to mothers who have had regular reflexology sessions during their pregnancy are often more placid and content. Just as mum feels the benefits, babies react directly to treatments – either having a good wriggle around or just calming completely and going to sleep.
However good a birth you have, it is still quite a shock for your baby to make its way into the noisy world, after having spent nine months in the peaceful and cosy environment of the womb. Treating mum and baby calms you both, enabling you to bond better with each other, and feel confident about this new stage of your life. Energy levels for mum are restored and reflexology encourages your body to start is journey back to its pre-pregnancy state. If you have problems breast feeding, or are feeling emotionally low, or your baby has colic and does not settle, a gentle soothing treatment can ease all this away.
Let’s not forget what reflexology can do for other areas of your health. As you are limited on what medication is safe to use when pregnant, or whether you are simply someone who does not like taking pills and potions, it is comforting to know that having reflexology can give you relief from numerous other ailments such as hayfever, asthma, sinus trouble, IBS, stress and insomnia, to name but a few.
All sounds too good to be true? Well, why not try it for yourself and join the growing number of mums and mums-to-be (and stressed dads) who have benefited from this powerful therapy, knowing they are doing something to ensure that they and their baby are cared for in the most natural way possible.
Sophie Esdaile
22 Feb 07
Who is Sophie Esdaile?
Sophie Esdaile is a gifted therapist working in the exciting field of Reflexology. Combined with her general practice, Sophie is a specialist in Maternity Reflexology. She founded her practice several years ago in south-west London, and it's here that she gives the treatments in her quiet, softly lit therapy room. She is a member of the Association of Reflexologists.
If you would like more information from Sophie, you can contact her on 0208 355 9808 or email her at sophie@esdaile.co.uk
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