Shiatsu and massage– a wonderful way to support pregnancy

This is the first in a series of 3 blogs on pregnancy. I am writing a series of 3 separate blogs on miscarriage, and how massage and shiatsu can also support this.

If you have read my previous blogs on supporting fertility, you will have learnt how shiatsu can support our Essence through working with the Extraordinary Vessels. Essence is our underlying energy which supports our  growth and development as well as our capacity to reproduce. Transmitted at conception, it is like our DNA, and, like our DNA, is constantly modified by our environment.  

The importance of supporting our Essence

Essence is vital to support during pregnancy, because a mother gives it to her baby to help them to grow. It also enables her body to adapt to the changes of pregnancy. In order to support pregnancy, ideally we want to strengthen our Essence as much as possible before conception. See the previous blogs for ideas on this. In these articles I am going to explore how shiatsu can support a mother and her baby during each trimester of pregnancy.

I taught a free online class on First trimester which you can watch on YouTube.

The importance of pregnancy – for mother and baby

My first experiences of working with pregnancy were with my own pregnant body. At the time, my daughter is now 34 years, there were many myths about working in pregnancy and so, while pregnant, I went to study in the US with a pioneering physiotherapist, Elizabeth Noble, so that I could understand more. This knowledge gave me the confidence in how to support my own body and baby as well as how to work with other women and their babies. It was the inspiration for me setting up my company “WellMother” in 1990. I started teaching weekly exercise classes for pregnancy, birth and postnatally - integrating Elizabeth Noble’ s approach with my knowledge of shiatsu and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I felt more confident in giving shiatsu and massage in the maternity period and realised how important it was to give my individual clients tools to support themselves. Many of them came to my weekly classes and I attended some of their births, supporting them with movement and shiatsu. I continue to work with pregnant women and their families as well as with non-pregnant clients of all ages. Over time, I began to realise the impact of pregnancy on the rest of a mother’s and baby’s life and indeed of the whole family.

A gateway of change for the whole family

Pregnancy is considered by the ancient Chinese to be a “gateway” or “turning point” - a time when energy can transform. It is not only the energy of the mother and her partner which changes. Since we inherit Essence not only from our parents, but our whole ancestral line, profound changes in our Essence can have repercussions through the whole family. It is not uncommon for either parent to become more aware of family dynamics, whether supportive or unsupportive, and to be enabled to make relevant changes. I have had clients who have finally been able to address old wounds and become closer to their parents. Others have decided to stop seeing their mother or father because they want to shift abusive patterns. It is not that unusual for a family member to become ill or even die. 

Since the egg and sperm in the baby, develop very early on the pregnancy, we are also working with future generations.

The first trimester (12 weeks) of pregnancy –the baby anchors, puts down roots and creates their physical form. The mother’s body adapts to be able to support the baby for the rest of the pregnancy

Despite some people being wary of working with women during the first trimester of pregnancy, this is the most important trimester to support the mother and her baby. We can support a mother to listen deeply to her body and feel into what is right for her and her baby. Some women are aware of their baby in this trimester, even though they can’t physically feel them move.

“ Serena came to see me because she had been aware of her baby even before she conceived. She wanted to understand more about why her baby had chosen her as her mother and how she could support her. During these early weeks she became quite aware of her maternal grandmother, now deceased, remembering memories spent together and the joys of their relationship. She also sensed the presence of a new being, who was playful, and in some ways reminded her of aspects of her grandmother. When her baby was born, she did indeed have many of her grandmother’s physical characteristics, and also her fun-loving side. Naturally, she named her baby after her.  “ (Suzanne)

These early weeks are the foundation of all future growth for the baby. They develop rapidly and, even though by the end of this trimester they are only 27-31 mm from head to tail, all their organs are formed, they have arms and legs, 10,000 cells and are they are recognisable as a human. They are even moving their limbs, although their mother can’t feel these movements. The baby is aware of their mother, through touch, which is their first sense to develop around 7 weeks. The placenta also forms and its functions are established. 

In some ways it is the most challenging trimester of pregnancy for the mother, because all her systems have to adapt to support her and her baby during the whole of pregnancy. Yet her body doesn’t obviously change from the outside. These changes are neuroendocrine changes affecting us emotionally as well as physically. The ancient Chinese say them as changes in the flow of the Extraordinary Vessels, which circulate the Essence (Jing).

Mother -Changes in the Blood and Essence – Penetrating Vessel

The uterine gate closes to stop Blood leaving the body. Blood in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is considered to be more than the blood which flows through our blood vessels. It also nourishes our whole body, emotionally as well as physically. Each month a woman doesn’t bleed there is more Blood available to nourish the baby. There is also more Essence because it is not being used to mature the egg each month.

The main Vessel which regulates the changes in Blood and Essence is the Penetrating Vessel. You can see by its pathway it has branches over our heart and breasts, in our pelvis, as well as a branch to connect us to the earth. If our Essence is weak, the Penetrating Vessel may struggle with the initial changes in the flow of Blood. Instead of helping to gather Blood in the womb, where it can nourish the baby and support the development of the placenta, it may rise up the chest and into the throat and head, causing typical first trimester symptoms of nausea, emotional lability, feeling ungrounded and exhausted.

Why might our Essence be weak? This can be due to numerous reasons, genetic inheritance and stress being two of the main ones. The other fundamental reasons are because we are not nourishing ourselves sufficiently with our Food Qi ( what we eat and the quality of our relationships with others) and Air Qi (how we breathe and how we create appropriate boundaries with others). When I work with the Penetrating Vessel, especially with its anchoring branches in the legs, women often feel calmer, find their sickness lessens, their appetite returns and are they able to rest and feel more grounded.

Affirmations for the Penetrating Vessel

I create a nourishing relationship with myself from which I can create nourishing relationships with others.

I feel at home in my body and in my place on earth.

Here is a video of me working with a woman who had extreme nausea which continued in her second  trimester

What is the best approach to support a mother during her first trimester?

The first trimester is ideally a time for a mother to rest as much as she needs and allow herself to adapt physically and emotionally to the many changes. Shiatsu and massage can provide a space for this deep rest as well as supporting the changing energies. Unfortunately in modern society, many women don’t want to tell their employers they are pregnant until the second trimester and struggle through. Tiredness and stress often creates or aggravates nausea. When I have encouraged clients to rest as much as they can, perhaps lying down when they come home from work or not cooking the supper or going to the gym, if they feel it is too much, they often feel better immediately.  

It is a time when it is generally advised not to take up new activities which could be physically or emotionally challenging for the body, but to continue with activities which you were doing before, even if they are quite challenging, as long as your body feels okay with them. With my work I aim to encourage a woman to listen to her body so she can feel what is right and to know that this can vary hugely from day to day.

If a woman is used to receiving massage and shiatsu then she can give feedback on what now feels good. If a woman wants to receive shiatsu or massage in the first trimester, depending on what other physical activities she may be doing, gentle holding, more energy style work can be helpful. Working the Penetrating Vessel, as described above is core to my approach. This can include bringing awareness of the perineum and gentle pelvic floor exercises.

Although the mother can not yet feel her baby move, the baby is aware of touch from around 7 weeks after conception. It is the first sense to develop. Supporting the mother to develop a relationship with her baby through touch can be powerful. Simply consciously placing your hands on your lower abdomen can enable the baby to be aware more of your presence. Partners and other family members can be encouraged to do this too. Often other siblings are aware of the baby, even before they are told. They have a sense of the new life growing inside.

Try to enjoy the magic of this powerful first trimester even if the magic is accompanied by challenges.