Postpartum Massage

The postpartum period is a time of many physical and emotional readjustments. After childbirth, a woman’s body undergoes many structural and physiological changes in order to heal from the rigors of labour. Adapting to life with a new baby that demands 24 hour care can be extremely difficult for a new Mom. Often this means little to no time to look after herself.
Though it may seem impossible this is the time that massage therapy can be most beneficial. A Mom who takes regular care of herself through massage is also better able to care for her baby. When the mother feels good about herself, it is easier to meet the needs of a newborn.
A postpartum massage can be done with the baby in the room (sleeping in the stroller or bucket car seat) or while Mom is in a side lying position with baby skin to skin, no need to put off the massage if child care can’t be found.
A postpartum massage would be tailored to the clients needs, after a discussion of where the client is feeling the most discomfort, how the birth went, and what the client is comfortable with. We would make a plan together of what areas to work on.
A few areas I would suggest are lower back, hips and legs. Depending on how long the birth went and how the client was pushing, these areas can be really stiff and sore.
Also upper back, neck, shoulders and arms from holding and rocking the new baby. Working the abdominal muscles if the birth was vaginal ( C section scar work would be after 6 weeks and the wound is healed) can be very beneficial as all of these muscles have been stretched to the limits for so long and then working hard to birth the baby.
Massaging through the chest musculature and breast tissue is key in a postpartum massage also. Whether the mom is breastfeeding or bottle feeding the body positioning of mom is similar and feedings are just as often. Pectoral muscles can become tight and ropey from poor posture. Working the breast tissue itself is extremely beneficial for breastfeeding moms, as some women who breastfeed may experience significant discomfort, swelling, throbbing pain, hard or lumpy breasts, and swollen lymph nodes in their armpits. Massage can also help prevent blocked milk ducts or painful breast infections such as mastitis.
The breast massage portion of the treatment can be entirely up to the client, it can be done all while keeping the majority of the breast covered should the client feel more comfortable or one breast can be undraped at a time to give the practitioner easier access. Pressure will be light to medium and will all depend on client feedback. The whole treatment should be relaxing and not painful or stressful in any way.

Benefits of Postpartum massage:

• increased relaxation
• stress reduction
• pain relief
• hormone regulation
• reduced swelling
• improves quality of sleep
• speeds healing and assists with C-section recovery