Why should I choose a massage therapist that specializes in prenatal and postpartum care? | Indianapolis newborns
As a fine art newborn photographer, I want to provide beautiful heirloom quality photos for my clients, but I also want to provide help for the entire experience as you carry your baby and welcome your baby into the world. Prenatal and postpartum specialized massage therapy is one of the benefits that is available to expecting mommas here in the Indianapolis area.
I had the privilege of sitting down for an interview with Moire,
the owner of Be Well Therapeutics.
Moire specializes in helping expectant and postpartum mommas. You may be surprised at the things you will learn!
Massage therapy is so much more than just a good back rub and a way to relax your muscles!
Read on to discover the benefits!
First, let’s get to know Moire a bit and the background that led her into
massage therapy! Then read on, because there is some fantastic information that will help you understand the benefits of getting care from a massage therapist that specializes in prenatal and postpartum care!
Q: What inspired you to pursue serving as a massage therapist?
A: During my senior year of high school, I was unsure of what I wanted to do. I never cared for the idea of going to college. I felt that it didn't really fit into what I wanted to do with my career. I was just at a standstill. I was interested in interior design, but that required a skill set that I didn't particularly have at the time.
I was talking to some of my peers about my situation, and a good family friend suggested that I spend some time shadowing a massage therapist to see if that may be something I would enjoy.
At the time I was confused, because I did not view massage therapy as a real job.
I ended up doing massage therapy throughout my last semester of high school and realized that it was much more expansive than just massage. I learned that there were many ways to specialize in massage therapy such as prenatal, fertility massage, sports massage, hospital, hospice care, and more! I did not realize it was that expansive!
I had always wanted to serve and help moms with pregnancy. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an OBGYN. It was fun to think of helping with the babies and the moms or possibly working in the NICU.
When I started talking to my mentor about her massage therapy practice, I realized that I could do maternal care and infant care.
Q: What kind of training have you had?
A: I started schooling for massage therapy in the spring right after I graduated high school. I completed an 11 month program and obtained my license.
Q: What kind of experience have you had since you obtained your license?
A: I started working at a spa, and they offered to pay for a certain amount of continuing education each year. I took advantage of that and did their prenatal classes.
I worked at the spa for a little over a year and a half, and I had ongoing training for prenatal massage during that time.
Q: What are some specific things that are unique to prenatal massage?
A: The position of a client is different. There is knowledge of how to help women who are dealing with specific issues related to pregnancy that provide more individualized care than a general massage therapist.
Q: At what point did you transition from working at the spa to having your own private practice?
A: After working at the spa for about a year and a half, I decided I wanted to work specifically with prenatal massage therapy. I wanted to do therapeutic work, and spas don't really specialize in that. Choosing to move to my own private practice allows me to have a personal relationship with my clients.
It is true massage therapy that goes beyond a massage to relax your muscles. My work is more therapy specialized than a typical massage at a spa. I create a plan with my clients to help correct various issues over the course of multiple sessions. This goes beyond relaxation massage and is truly therapy.
I also provide help for those suffering from chronic issues.
Q: How many sessions does it take for a client to begin seeing results from massage therapy?
A: The circumstances are unique to each client depending on what their body needs, what they are capable of scheduling, and what they can invest financially. Typically, I encourage my clients to come in every 4 to 6 weeks.
For a severe issue involving chronic pain and no history of massage therapy, I encourage a 2 week schedule of 90 minute sessions of intensive, deep work. This regimen may last for a month or two. When my client feels like her body is receiving the massage well enough and holding it long enough, we will start stretching it out. For each client, it's very different, but generally once you get past the process of breaking down the buildup, you can start scheduling a session monthly or bi-monthly to receive the needed maintenance.
Q: What other information would you want potential clients to know?
A: It can be challenging to find a good prenatal massage therapist. There's a very slight difference in the pressure applied and where it is applied. With my prenatal clients, I check in with them on pressure throughout the entire massage. I really want to focus on figuring out what the needs are and how I am serving those needs. A complaint I often hear is that they received a “premium massage”, and it was a huge letdown and waste of time and money, because they felt like they weren't getting anything out of it.
I really focus on getting to the root of the problem, especially for my prenatal clients. I want to help them and not just put a band-aid on their issues. I take time at each session to discuss what helped at the last session. We talk about what I may do at the current session that will have even better results. I will ask them if there was anything at the last session that was not helpful.
I’m also knowledgeable about therapy for women who have had multiple children or have had cesarean birth in the past. Scar tissue work is very important for them. A lot of times with C-section scars, it can be similar to biting into an apple and leaving it on the counter. It will turn brown where the bite was taken. The organs get a similar coating because they've been exposed to oxygen. They are not supposed to be exposed to oxygen. That exposure will cause things to adhere to each other. The C-section scar can adhere to the organs, the uterus, and the ovaries. This can cause bowel problems for older women, and can affect the ability to conceive in the future.
Often, the area of a C-section scar will go numb. This can be uncomfortable and confusing. I ask all my prenatal clients if they had a C-section and if it has been affecting them recently, especially if the client is currently pregnant. There's not a lot we will do to address this during pregnancy, because we don't want to do deep tissue work on that area. But once they are postpartum and ready for that kind of work, I definitely recommend scar scar work for those who have had C-sections.
As you can see, Moire is very knowledgeable and experienced to help you in your pregnancy and postpartum journey. A woman’s body goes through so much as she carries her baby and recovers from delivery. Investing in massage therapy that is specialized to help as you walk through this journey is vital to your well being as momma!
If you live in the Indianapolis area, consider checking in with Moire to create a plan for massage therapy!
Check out her website HERE!
https://bewell-therapeutics.com
Follow her on Instagram HERE!
https://www.instagram.com/bewell_therapeutics/
If you haven’t yet made plans for maternity pictures or a newborn photo shoot, reach out to me HERE and we will make plans to beautifully capture this special part of your journey!
