Grounded in both tradition & modern day research, massage therapy during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a safe and effective way to care for yourself during this sacred transition in life.
Prenatal and postpartum treatments at The Nest are tailored to meet your individual needs. We understand pregnancy and postpartum is a journey and we strive to meet you where you’re at by offering individualized, specific and nurturing perinatal care. We have specialized training as RMT’s to provide support through all stages of pregnancy & postpartum and are able to address more complex challenges that may arise with our diverse manual therapy skillset.
We are also mothers and are honoured to meet, work with, and learn alongside you on our parallel journeys through parenthood. We learn so much from each one of our patients and it such a privilege to see folks through the transition that takes place from pregnancy, to postpartum and beyond.
Pregnancy Care
Massage therapy treatment can be supportive throughout your pregnancy as your body adapts to the changes of childbearing. It is a safe and beneficial approach to caring for your body throughout all trimesters of pregnancy. Treatment can be useful for addressing physical ailments that may come with pregnancy, decreasing pain, restoring and/or maintaining balance in your changing body, preparing your body for childbirth, improving sleep quality, promoting relaxation, and a connection to your changing body. The power of massage therapy during pregnancy is grounded in both ancient tradition and modern research.
Your Treatment
At The Nest, we have a special pregnancy pillow designed to support your body on the massage table. Sick of lying on your side all the time? Lots of pregnant folks are overjoyed when they can spend a comfortable amount of time lying in a face-down position on the massage table. If this isn’t comfortable, there are many ways we can adjust the table to make you as comfortable as possible during your treatment.
Each visit we will discuss the various treatment options that will best suit your body at that time.
Postpartum Care
The changes that come with the postpartum period or fourth trimester are like no other. Giving birth is monumental, and the adjustment your body goes through physiologically is rapid, intense, and continuous. Adjusting to caring for, feeding, and being there for the every need of your new little human can be a lot of things — massage therapy can help with some of those things. Massage therapy during the postpartum period can help your body recover from childbirth, restore balance & physical function, promote relaxation, help you reconnects with your body after childbearing, and address the physical aches and pain that can come with caring for your little one.
You are absolutely welcome to bring your baby to your postpartum treatment — things just may look a little different from your average massage treatment depending on you and your baby’s needs! We are here for it, we have been there ourselves and we’re ready to go with the flow.
Mom & Baby Treatments
Mom (parent) and baby, the mother-child dyad, are one energetic unit during pregnancy and after birth. We offer both infant and postpartum treatments at The Nest, but often what’s needed is care for both of you as one. Bringing your baby to your appointment can look many different ways, so during these appointments we go with the flow and treat parent and/or baby depending on what’s needed at that moment. Mom (parent) and baby appointments are for both of you as needed, because your health and wellness are interdependent and inseparable.
There is not a specific Mom & Baby treatment option in JaneApp — this goes for all perinatal treatments.
Cesarean Birth Scar Treatment
If you have given birth by cesarean, treatment for your scar can be immensely helpful for recovering from surgery and managing the health of your scar.
Work directly on your scar begins at about 6 weeks postpartum (case dependent).
Prior to 6 weeks your abdomen can be cared for with lymphatic drainage. We can also massage other areas of your body that need care.
At 6 weeks and after, we can begin to work directly on your scar.
What you may notice after a cesarean:
numbness or altered sensation at and around the scar
swelling
slow healing of scar tissues/incision
feelings of tightness or pulling around the scar
lower back pain (scar tissue can adhere to other parts of the body!)
pelvic or groin pain
lumpy or hard spots along your scar
Treatment for your scar can help to address these issues.
This treatment can be done any time after a cesarean birth — it’s never too late to work on your scar!
It is important to note that this treatment has the potential to bring up emotions connected to your birth experience. We hope to establish and honour your comfort levels throughout the treatment – we meet you where you’re at in your healing.
Initially, treatments will be focused on decreasing swelling, promoting tissue healing, and minimizing restriction as scar tissue forms. Later treatments will focus on mobilization of scar tissue, easing restrictions, and promoting reconnection & integration of this area of the body.
Grounded in both tradition & modern day research, massage therapy during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a safe and effective way to care for yourself during this sacred transition in life.
