I did my Prenatal Massage training in 2004, before I was pregnant myself and become a mother. I was fascinated with the magic and unknown world of pregnancy. I wanted to offer the best service and support, the most wonderful massage to these amazing pregnant women who have a very special light shining all over them. I wanted to learn from the best and more experienced teacher available. I went to study with Carole Osborne, first reading her book then attending her training, learning everything I could about pregnancy and bodywork.
I was feeling so very happy working with expecting mothers and offering the best quality work possible.
However, it was not until I became pregnant myself that I could really understand the uniqueness and life changing process that is pregnancy. How could I? There is no book, no teacher, no girlfriend that can prepare you for it. Once you feel it on your skin, in your body then, yes, you know. It is an experience that is different for every woman and is something beyond words in all levels.
Let me be clear, what I am sharing with you is based on my personal experience and in my work with pregnant women. It is not an absolute truth, it is just my views, my perceptions, of this period in a woman’s life.
First is the moment a woman discovers she is pregnant. She may have been trying to conceive, where the level of anxiety can be high, fear of failure or doubt strong. This first step varies wildly from person to person. But once you have the little seed inside you, your body starts to work in autopilot mode, boom! You still make choices for yourself, but hormones take the control. The weight change, level of water in your body changes, morning sickness kick in, in some cases not just in the morning but during the full day. The world becomes a different color and moves at a different speed. Your sense of smell becomes a super power overnight and you start to avoid some places, food and people! Oh, and you suddenly become so emotional, crying, and it is very easy get upset … you become a new bitch that your poor partner seems unable to understand even in the most perfect English, how could he? Poor guy. He just has no idea.
I was blessed with two children, two different pregnancies, the first one was more stressful, since it was all unknown. And as a veterinarian, I also had experience in all what could go wrong during the process, so it was scary time. I was a healthy and active woman who exercised regularly, swam until 8 months into the pregnancy. But I was never the sexy pregnant woman I imagined I would be, I dealt with back pain, morning sickness and prenatal diabetes twice, but overall healthy pregnancies.
After you accept and realized your body doesn’t below to you anymore, and that the baby is owning it for the next 9 months, you start to feel your energy level change, some physical pain here or there. After your belly starts to grow, muscles tension levels change, blood flow is now different, you experience changes in weight, equilibrium, sweat glands, sensory nerves, brain, immune system etc.
I found bodywork helps a lot, not only on physical body but also on the emotional body. I found that the kind of bodywork that works best during pregnancy varies from woman to woman, some of them prefer massage to try relieving the famous pregnant low back pain, others find better result in the water and love to have Watsu, feeling safe, weightless, comforted and supported by the water. My personal favorite is reflexology, where the moms are in deep relaxation and after about 5 minutes drift into a wonderful sleep. Reflexology not only helps in the relaxation but also in the optimal body function. More often than not I use a combination of different bodyworks in order to provide the best results.
Bodywork is an invaluable help during pregnancy. It is a magical time for a woman, where she places her baby’s wellbeing before her own. Once a woman becomes pregnant her life is forever changed. There is no way back emotionally, or physically. It is a part of her heart that will eventually be born and will beat outside her body.
A pregnant woman deserves a lot of love, support and compassion. Forgive her if she seems so insensitive, so out of control, she is dealing with something magical, overwhelming and that feels so much bigger than herself.