Bodywork – How it can help ease pregnancy aches and improve labour progress.
By Gabrielle Brennan from G.LORRI LABOUR BODYWORK
NURSE/MIDWIFE & PERSONAL TRAINER | MALVERN EAST, VIC
Hello and welcome to my professional blog! My name is Gabrielle, and I am a healthcare expert with qualifications in nursing, midwifery, and personal training. Working with individuals throughout their peripartum journey has been a significant part of my career, from early pregnancy to postnatal support. It is truly an honor to witness the incredible moments of nourishment, birth, and healing that occur during this transformative time. Through this experience, I have come to appreciate the remarkable abilities of the human body and the potential for us to optimize our health by working in tandem with it. With this in mind, let's embark on a journey of discovery as we explore the endless possibilities of the human body.
What is bodywork?
Bodywork is a therapeutic approach that employs a range of massage techniques and energetic principles to promote and restore health. During pregnancy and childbirth, bodywork can help reduce soft tissue pain and tension, enhance fetal positioning, and facilitate smoother labor progress. Providers of bodywork may specialize in either internal or external techniques. Internal bodywork involves using manual massage techniques within the vagina to address pelvic floor issues, while external techniques involve manually manipulating the structures around the pelvis such as hips, glutes, and sacrum, which can indirectly affect pelvic floor function.
How can it help in pregnancy?
Pregnancy is an exciting time, but it can also be a challenging one. The body undergoes significant changes to accommodate the growing fetus, and it's not uncommon to experience aches and pains, especially around the pelvis, known as pelvic girdle pain (PGP). Studies report that around 16 to 25% of pregnant individuals experience PGP, although the number may be as high as 76%.
PGP often indicates alignment issues in the soft tissue, leading to muscle strain and tension. As the body compensates for the pain, other muscles may become overworked, exacerbating the issue. While it's impossible to prevent PGP entirely, strategies to alleviate symptoms are essential.
One effective approach is bodywork, which focuses on relieving tension and improving alignment. Bodywork specialists can identify the root cause of tension and work with clients to develop strategies to prevent it from returning. This may involve manual releases, stretches, or preventative exercises. By improving the body's alignment, we can optimize biomechanics and reduce the risk of pain and discomfort.
So if you're experiencing PGP or want to reduce your risk of developing it during pregnancy, check out our blog for strategies and tips. Don't let pain hold you back from enjoying this transformative time.
How can it help in labour?
Childbirth is a complex process, with your baby actively navigating your soft tissue structures as they make their way into the world. Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) during pregnancy can be a signal that your body is struggling to maintain alignment. This tension can impact fetal positioning and labor progress, potentially leading to complications.
However, by listening to your body and using bodywork techniques, you can address PGP's root causes and work with your body to facilitate labor progress. As an experienced midwife, I have witnessed firsthand the tremendous impact of bodywork on soft tissue tension, often leading to a smoother labor and delivery experience.
It is essential to note that PGP does not necessarily mean that you won't be able to labor or deliver successfully. Instead, it suggests that your body must work harder to ensure proper fetal positioning, particularly during early labor. I have seen many cases of people experiencing early labor for days or feeling "stuck" in prodromal or spurious labor, where listening to your body and working with it can make all the difference.
I cannot stress enough the importance of soft tissue work in labor and delivery. I have used bodywork techniques in nearly every birth I have attended, and the results have been nothing short of remarkable. In some cases, it has helped birthing women avoid medical interventions such as cesareans, forceps, inductions, and episiotomies, leading to a more positive birth experience.
One of my favorite birth stories involves a mother who was attempting her fourth VBAC. Despite strong but irregular contractions, she was stalled at 4cm dilation for eight hours, indicating that her body was working on the baby's position. I came to her with a plan in mind, but after only ten minutes of bodywork, she began pushing, and her baby was born within fifteen minutes. A medical team that had been considering a cesarean was amazed by the impact of bodywork on labor progress.
Bodywork is a powerful tool that is not yet widely used among birth workers. Still, it has the potential to optimize labor progress while reducing the risks associated with medical interventions. If you want to learn more about the benefits of soft tissue work during labor and delivery, check out my social media accounts, where I share inspiring stories and insights on this important topic.
Who can benefit from it the most?
While it's true that not everyone needs labour bodywork, we believe that everyone can benefit from it. Our bodies are indeed capable of birthing babies, but bodywork can enhance the birth experience by reducing tension-related issues. Even those who are not experiencing any problems can still benefit from bodywork, albeit to a lesser extent. That said, our clients with tension-related issues have seen significant benefits from labour bodywork. So, if you want to enhance your birth experience and reduce tension, consider labour bodywork as a valuable tool which will provide the following benefits for expectant mothers:
experiencing pelvic girdle pain.
whose babies are in less than optimal positions.
who have tension that may be restricting the baby's movement.
who are motivated to avoid medical intervention, particularly those going for a VBAC.
with booked inductions.
in early labour where they are not feeling progress or have experienced several days without progress.
whose waters have broken but contractions are not starting.
References:
Bodywork. (n.d.) Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing. (2012). Retrieved February 16 2023 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/bodywork
Kanakaris, N. K., Roberts, C. S., & Giannoudis, P. V. (2011). Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain: An update. BMC Medicine, 9, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-9-15
If you're interested in experiencing the benefits of labour bodywork, we invite you to reach out to us.
