"Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life" ~ Fleetwood Mac, Landslide
This weekend I took the Prenatal Massage Elective at BCMT and learned how important massage therapy can be during pregnancy. Among the long list of benefits, massage during pregnancy can result in: decreased stress hormone levels, improved mood, better sleep, fewer complications in labor, and a more sensitive and caring touch of newborns by their new mothers. During pregnancy, women go through so many changes! Having not been pregnant, I only know from what I've researched and witnessed that this is such a great but often stressful time for mothers and their families.
To be able to learn how to properly bolster an expecting mother as well as the many anatomical, physiological, and emotional changes of pregnancy, I feel like I am one step ahead towards my goals of working with women in all stages of their lives.
On the last day of the elective, we all were priviledged to work with pregnant women! My client was 25 weeks pregnant to the day and was so beautiful and calm. I was happy to hear that she had been receiving massage therapy on a regular basis, even through her pregancy, and enjoyed the relaxation she felt. If I could tell all pregnant women to get massages as part of their "body cocktail" I would! Everyone deserves to feel good at all stages of their lives and the fact that it provides clients with a bonding experience with their unborn baby even before s/he is in this world is so wonderful!
