Birth & Wellness
You are miraculous
Reflexology During Pregnancy
"If the mother has access to just one type of treatment during pregnancy, the best all-around treatment in pregnancy would be reflexology".
DR GOWRI MOTHA
Regular reflexology throughout your pregnancy can help to create a calm and peaceful environment for you and your baby and increase the chances of a positive birth, by deeply relaxing the body and mind.
What happens during a reflexology treatment?
Treatments are adapted to your needs and stage of pregnancy and include lymphatic drainage techniques to move along any "issues in the tissues" and endocrine balancing to support your emotional and physical health.
With regular treatments throughout your pregancy you will more easily be able to connect to your divine feminine power, your inner knowing that lies within us all; that your body is designed to give birth to life! This is an extraordinary power and its within all birthing women.
Reflexology in the first trimester (weeks 1-13)
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Reflexology is a safe, non-invasive therapy during pregnancy. There is no evidence to suggest that reflexology can cause a miscarriage (some women choose to wait until the 2nd trimester simply because a miscarriage is statistically more likely in the first trimester).
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Reflexology supports you with common pregnancy symptoms like nausea and tiredness.
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weekly treatments are recommended if you are experiencing ongoing symptoms, otherwise every 2-4 weeks to optimise health and wellness.
​Reflexology in the second trimester (& up to 37 WEEKS)
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supports your general health & wellbeing as you undergo a myriad of changes.
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maintains lower stress levels which is beneficial for you and your baby's long term physical and emotional health.
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regulates and improves sleep patterns.
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lymphatic drainage can reduce pregnancy-related oedema as long as there is no pathological cause (pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure).
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From weeks 37+ treatments are focused on priming your body for birthing.
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priming the body for birth may help you to have a shorter and easier labour as two recent studies have shown (see below).
I'm pregnant and overdue. Can reflexology induce labour?
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It is important to note that induction is a medical procedure and this is not the purpose of reflexology which is a complementary therapy that supports the body holistically to give it what it needs.
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If you haven't already, please read the following information on the AIMS website regarding induction as well as Dr. Sara Wickham before making any decision about inducing labour. It is so important to be able to make a fully informed decision.
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There is a special technique in reflexology called priming which stimulates the body to prepare for labour. However, please note there are no guarantees, baby will not come until they are ready. Please do not assume that reflexology will be the catalyst for starting labour - this is just taking away your power. Reflexology at this time is all about supporting your body's natural rhythms and processes, relaxing the body & mind and releasing tension & stress. We still don't really know how labour starts and I do not believe this is something that should be interfered with unless decided by yourself or your medical team.
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A normal reflexology treatment is given first and then priming can begin. Typically more than one session will be required.
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What the Research says
Two recent studies have shown that regular reflexology during pregnancy significantly reduced pain during labour (1), reduced the length of the first stage of labour (1) and improved quality of sleep for postnatal women (2).
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Contraindications to Reflexology in pregnancy
The following conditions are contraindicated for pregnancy reflexology:
Pre-eclampsia, pre-term labour, DVT (deep vein thrombosis), placenta praevia (grades II, III or IV and 32 weeks or more), placental abruption, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, vaginal bleeding.
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