Every Birth Has a Story!

Every Postnatal Body has a story!

As a former midwife I know this is so very true and support and care for women individually because of it.

I’m writing this blog to encourage you with something I learnt so powerfully, whilst doing my Scar Massage Therapy Training recently. Experiences I learnt about my own body that I never expected but lay below the surface just waiting for the right space and time to let go.

As someone who doesn’t have any abdominal/tummy scars and as coaches practicing and learning our investigating, listening and treatment techniques on one another, I wasn’t prepared for my bodies response.

Our bodies can hold tension in various ways and places, from the experiences we have gone through. Adhesions, ‘stuck’ areas from surgery or laparoscopic investigations are not the only things that can cause restrictive movement, tension or discomfort in referred areas of our body.

We know massage brings relief to tension, aches and pains. Helps us to move more freely and relax and brings out those feel good endorphins. But when you bring in hands on, gentle, slow, held techniques, listening, acknowledgment and an IAM tool, ‘magic’ happens!

I had 2 vaginal births at home. They were both super fast!

First 3.5 hrs start to finish and the 2nd 1.5 hrs start to finish. (everyone always says how lucky I am and I always feel, If only you knew how brutal they were!)

I had no breaks between contractions. My babies were both back to back, making a more painful, back snapping labour. They only turned to the optimal/ideal position for birth while I was pushing. So pushing (the 2nd stage) lasted about 30 min with both babies.

I was privileged to be able to have home births without standard complications and am so grateful for that experience.

After both births I couldn’t stop shaking from the adrenaline that coursed through my body, for about 2-3 days. No one ever mentions that you might feel like that after an intense or quick labour.

They were intense and brutal labours. The tension in my ribs, tummy muscles and lower back has held there ever since. That’s 14 years ago my first was born!

I have been aware of it and used releases myself and tried to find massage that works to bring relief but it’s never quite hit the mark and I know I need more but just don’t know the right practitioner with the right skills and knowledge locally.

Well………………when my colleague got her hands on me to feel and listened to my birth story, acknowledged my experience and applied the gentle massage and release techniques we had been learning it was like the floodgates of relief opened!

It was the first time someone acknowledged my experience, the impact of what my body went through and brought release and relief.

I felt an ease of breathing, lightness, freedom of movement and release from tension like I haven’t since my son was born 14 years ago. And tears of relief.

Whether you have had a c-section , an instrumental delivery or vaginal delivery without assistance, what your body went through matters!

How you felt, and feel, postnatally matters.

You absolutely deserve that space to be listened to, hands on gentle release and massage.

Your birth story matters!

If you would like to get in touch I would love to see you to provide you with that space and give your body the massage it needs. I’m just up the road or I could put you in touch with someone near you.

If you feel you would really benefit from talking through your labour and birth experience to help you process it I can help you find the right person. In Northwich we have Donna from DoulaD who can provide that safe space to just listen and if you or Donna feel you would benefit Donna is also a Birth Trauma 3 step Rewind practitioner. https://www.doulad.co.uk/