Note: Please, ladies, ALWAYS tell your massage therapist if you are pregnant, even if you haven’t arrived at the 3-month “tell everyone” point… actually, ESPECIALLY if you haven’t!
That said…
I love it when a client arrives and says they are pregnant. It is pure joy to look down at a belly and know that inside, a little being is growing. As I touch the mother, I know that I am touching the child too. And while all massage is sacred, there is a special sweetness to that. I have had conversations with the little ones before they ever arrive and once they do...well, they have a special place in my heart.
Not that pregnancy is all roses for the mom-to-be. It can be hard on a body and mind and spirit. Sometimes hard on all three in one day. Carrying a baby is physically demanding. As a mother’s body grows, her center of gravity shifts. Bones and joints suddenly experience the stress of carrying a heavier load. As her body tries to find new ways to accomplish activities and heck, even rest, new patterns emerge in her muscles and new cricks can appear side-by side. Even women who sail through most of the physical part, at some point come in and they are finally PREGNANT. Which is to say they are done. Done baking that little nugget and are ready for their bundle of joy to arrive already.
It’s equally mentally and emotionally exciting. She certainly has a cascade of hormones racing (which autocorrect suggested “raging”… apropos perhaps...) through her body. These hormones are good. They make the baby grow and evolve, help her build her nest, help her bond with her child. But boy, howdy, that is a lot of STUFF racing around in the body and it can certainly be a titch overwhelming. And as if that’s not enough, quality sleep can be hard to find, adding yet another layer.
But I know I can help. Help keep muscles loose, shoulders out of ears, hands from going numb, SI joints (lower back pain) from sending shooting pain into the legs. And I can help with relaxation, and release some happy chemicals into the brain and body. But most importantly, I can nurture her as she prepares to nurture her little one. Give her a quiet place inside all that busyness, preparation, fatigue, and even overwhelming joy. I love it. Plain and simple.
Peace and good things.
