NOW OFFERING DOULA SERVICES!

I have completed my Massage Doula Certification.  I am available to be there for you during pregnancy, delivery and after the baby is born.

What you will receive;  Information on pregnancy and delivery.  Scheduled meetings in your home or at my office.  Support and help during labor and delivery.  Massage and pressure points during labor and delivery if you so desire.  (If it feels uncomfortable to have me in the room during labor, you can ask me to step outside.)  A free pre-natal or post-natal massage with contract agreement of services and fees.  Instructions on how to massage your baby.  (a class I also teach separately)

What I need:  you to sign consent forms and fill out a few pages.  You to be on time for your appointments and call if anything comes up, call when you go into labor, etc.,

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About the Pregnancy Massage....

Side to Side Table Massage
(a combination of Swedish and Shiatsu) specifically designed for pregnant women and people with back problems who cannot lie on their stomach. Prenatal seated massage also available.

Enhanced client teaching of self massage and infant massage before and after the child is born. (Massaging the stomach during pregnancy can also reduce or even prevent stretch marks.)

Special couples sessions available to enhance the birthing experience by including the significant other into gentle massage techniques for the mother to be, for the infant and for the post-natal client. (call for dates and availability)

Patient teaching on herbs and essential oils to avoid during pregnancy as well as specific massage points as these could cause contraction of the uterus and premature labor. (Note; these items may be helpful while the client is IN LABOR and wants the child to be born–please consult with your physician or healthcare provider.)

Pampering Your Body, Mind and Spirit: The Pregnancy Massage

Cell phones ringing; beepers calling; traffic, long commutes, work deadlines and housework piled sky high. It's called stress, and it's a fact of modern living that studies show can affect our health in myriad ways. Add pregnancy into the mix and the health stakes can rise even higher -- for mother and baby.

The good news: Even the most stressful events don't have to get your pregnancy down. While we often can't change what's going on in our world, we can change our reaction to it -- and in doing so, short-circuit many of life's negative situations.

For many women, the ultimate way to reduce stress and really relax is a full body massage. This is even more true during pregnancy, when a massage can not only soothe your jangled nerves but also help ease some of your body aches and pains, as well as reduce swelling in hands and feet and even improve the quality of your sleep.

In studies conducted at Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, just 20 minutes of massage twice weekly for five weeks improved moods and sleep patterns during pregnancy while reducing anxiety and back pain. Doctors also recorded lower levels of stress hormones in the urine of pregnant women who received regular massages. What's more, the benefits of massage can even extend clear into labor and delivery: Studies show women who received regular massages during pregnancy had lower rates of premature birth, fewer obstetrical problems, and their babies were happier.

Infant Massage

Performing massage has proven to have myraid benefits for the baby, of both a physiological and psychological nature.  As an added bonus, the giver of the massage also benefits.

FOR THE BABY (PSYCHOLOGICAL):

• Increases sense of being loved and accepted, and helps baby learn to trust its parents.
• Improves body awareness as the infant learns through touch how their body is constructed and where body parts are in relation to one another.
• Teaches children appropriate touch and the option of refusing touch as they grow.
• Increases self-esteem.  A child's self esteem is increased based on the close relationship with its parents.
• Enhances relaxation.

PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS FOR THE INFANT:

Releases stress, stimulates circulation, improves oxygen and nutrient flow to the cells and enhances removal of toxins from the cells. 

Strengthens digestions by stimulating the vagus nerve which assists peristalsis. 

Strengthens circulatory and intestinal systems. Strengthens the immune systems by stimulating lymph flow and by increasing natural killer cells (white cells that kill many types of tumor cells) which can positevely impact children suffering from immune disorders or cancer. 

Deepens respiration, allowing asthmatic children to breath better.

Reduces discomfort from colic, gas, constipation, teething, congestion, sinus congestion.

Deveops and improves muscle tone.

improves sleeping patterns, deepending sleep and sometimes contributing to longs periods of sleep. 

Speeds myelination (development of hte myelin sheath that increases impulse transmissions) of hte brain and nervous system, stimulates right/left brain development and coordination.

Enhances neurological development by balancing the stimulation of massage with relaxation, which promotes the production of a hormone from the pituitary gland (ACTH) which leads to the growth of neuron connections.

Helps develop coordination by encouraging midline orientation and using opposite limbs in rhythm.