Pregnancy

These safe, gentle therapies are especially useful at this special time in a woman's life. They can be beneficial for both men and women, to reduce stress which can be a key factor in fertility problems. Also they can help to:

• restore hormone balances
• regulate periods
• improve recovery from miscarriage

Pregnancy can be a wonderful experience, but it is a time of major adjustment. Hormone levels induce physical and mental changes and dramatic mood swings which can be both exciting and scary. These therapies encourage the body to adapt more easily. Frequent symptoms in pregnancy which can be helped are:

• morning sickness
• back pain
• oedema
• fatigue
• constipation
• indigestion
• anxiety
• gestational diabetes
• insomnia

Reflexology in particular seems well suited to relaxing and priming the body for labour. It enables a woman to relax and the babies also enjoy it. Blends of Aromatherapy oils can be used at various stages during labour and beyond.

After birth the balancing, restoring qualities of these therapies are equally useful. The body undergoes more change in returning to its pre-pregnancy state and can need support with:

• fatigue
• engorgement
• mastitis
• pain
• Post Natal Depression (PND)