What's 4th Trimester Reflexology?

Pregnancy is a time of massive physical, hormonal and psychological change as you and your baby develop and prepare for birth. It's a time that sees a move towards changing relationships as couples adjust to becoming parents or growing their family.

The focus during pregnancy is on the pregnant couple who are given support, love and care by friends and family.  Mums go to yoga classes, pay attention to nutrition and generally do anything they can to improve their health and wellbeing.  Then the baby is born and everything changes: focus is diverted to the baby - naturally so.

But whether you are first time parents or already have children, the demands of a baby can be exhausting and overwhelming.

As a mum your body may take a while to return to normal.  Labour can be traumatic, hormones are out of balance - from birth to breast milk flow, oestrogen and progesterone levels plummet to the levels of a menopausal women.  It can take months for hormones to normalise, causing mood swings and extreme highs and lows. 

As a dad you have to support as best you can, and with mum and baby so connected, you may feel a bit of an outsider.

After birth, the brain changes - in both parents - activity increases in the regions of the brain that control empathy, social interaction and anxiety.  So the stress response is heightened in new parents which means that the smallest thing can cause stress in the body.  And naturally, the focus is on the baby - so the health and wellbeing of the parents can take a back seat.  But parents need and deserve care in those first few months after the birth.  And baby deserves healthy relaxed parents.

4th Trimester Reflexology is a way of giving self-care and recovery post-birth.  Home visits are available and because Reflexology works on the feet, it's possible to feed during a treatment.  Hold your baby while receiving Reflexology and see that relaxation transmit to your baby.  For the best possible outcome, book a double appointment so that Mum and Dad can benefit.

Thinking about something different for baby showers - 4th Trimester Reflexology vouchers are available: contact Doris on 07724 197627.

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