Maternity Reflexology

Maternity Reflexology is a distinct speciality within reflexology. Working with mums-to-be is a rewarding experience for the practitioner and may have many benefits for the mother. Like conventional reflexology, the various conditions of pregnancy may be improved with the addition of preparing the mother for childbirth.

Reflexology may have a stimulating, sedating or relaxing impact upon the mother-to-be, which is usually dependent upon the stage of pregnancy. It is important that maternity reflexology is only provided by a maternity Reflexologist who has undergone further training, post qualification.

In my experience of working with mothers-to-be some of the following conditions may respond well to maternity reflexology. These include;

One research study found that first time mums who received 10 reflexology treatments during pregnancy had an average labour time of between 5 and 6 hours. By comparison, the average labour time for first time mothers is between 16 and 24 hours! It was also noted that those treated with reflexology required far less pain relief during labour than those who hadn't received reflexology (Motha, 1994). However maternity reflexology throughout any stage of the pregnancy may be of benefit!

Many mother’s may not have their babies until well after their estimated "due date", which may result in them requiring medical induction to initiate labour. At this late stage of pregnancy, with the agreement of your midwife, a specialised maternity reflexology treatment, also known as a “priming” session, may help the body to achieve a deeper level of relaxation, which may result in spontaneous labour and reduce the need for medical intervention.

Even if you are due to undergo a planned Caesarean Section, it is important to ensure that your body is at its optimum and well rested in order to recover successfully from the surgery - you may find reflexology helpful with this.

Motha, G. (1994) The Magic of Reflexology in Pregnancy. Reflections, December.