Gain a Deeper Understanding of Fertility Massage
By Emily Chaffee
Navigating Fertility
Navigating fertility, whether you are just beginning, or have struggled for longer than you would like, is something that can carry a heavy emotional burden. At Carolina Birth and Wellness, we offer fertility massages for both those who are just beginning to think about wanting a baby, those who are actively going through IVF cycles, and everyone in between.
We believe that fertility support should be standard care for everyone. At the end of the day, fertility is important if you want one baby, ten babies, or no babies at all as it tells us so much about our overall health and wellness.
Our massage therapist who does fertility massages is Emily Chaffee who is also a trained fertility educator and IVF mom. She conceived her first child laughably easy, so when secondary infertility hit, she was clueless. She used her passion for maternal health and drive to have a second child to learn all the things to help both herself and others dealing with fertility challenges.
Part of this was taking a thorough fertility massage training and becoming a fertility educator to talk all about periods and menstrual cycles.
One of our goals is that we can see people before they struggle with their fertility because as women, we should be taught about our fertility before there are problems, not after so much time and energy has already been invested.
General Fertility Massage Layout
The general layout for each fertility massage is as follows:
- A thorough intake to include where you are at in your fertility journey and answering questions about providers, and to see how to track your cycle.
- Application of a castor oil pack to your stomach with thorough instructions on how to continue these at home, including directions for abdominal massage
- Visualization and meditation to tap into your inner emotional strength and maximize relaxation for the massage
- Head, neck and face massage focusing on acupressure points
- Relaxing arm and leg massage
- Therapeutic foot massage focusing on reflexology points related to the endocrine system
- Additional abdominal massage without instruction to fully feel the benefits
- Relaxing leg and back massage
- Plus a take home kit including your own supplies to do at home castor oil packs and other goodies that can help with fertility support
While we try to make these massages extremely relaxing, it is important to note that we are also doing therapeutic work during the massage, specifically for the reflexology points on your feet. This looks like switching from foot to foot for specific points so you can feel the differences, and the maximum benefit of points can be felt in the body. Special oils and lotions are also used at different points to enhance your massage.
Benefits & Timing of Fertility Massage
Some of the benefits of fertility massage include:
- Increased knowledge of your body and future steps in your fertility journey
- Deep state of relaxation
- Digestive and abdominal support from castor oil
- Activation of endocrine system through reflexology
- Reduction of stress
- And much more!
If you are considering a fertility massage, we would love to see you! Timing does matter a bit more for fertility massages, so please consider the following:
- If you are just looking to learn about your fertility, coming anytime is fine. However, it is not recommended if you think you could be pregnant.
- If you are actively trying to conceive, we recommend that you come between the start of your period but before ovulation. This is because if there is a chance you could be pregnant, we do not recommend the abdominal massage portion.
- If you are in the midst of a medicated cycle or IVF process, fertility massage is safe and recommended!
- If you are nearing your egg retrieval, your abdominal area may be tender. So it might be better to do the massage earlier rather than closer to the actual retrieval date since there is increased swelling and injection site pain.
- If you are nearing your transfer, this massage is great to help increase relaxation and decrease stress. We do not recommend that you come for a fertility massage between transfer and beta test.
We hope to see you soon for a fertility massage! One of our goals is that we can see people before they struggle with their fertility because as women, we should be taught about our fertility before there are problems, not after so much time and energy has already been invested.
Emily Chaffee is a fertility and birth doula, childbirth educator, perinatal massage therapist and certified educator of infant massage. She started her doula journey during her own pregnancy in 2015 as she learned the power of her own voice, and realized that she could help others find theirs. Since then, she has built Carolina Birth and Wellness (www.carolinabirthandwellness.com) to be a full spectrum doula agency that provides support for individuals and families from preconception through the first years of having a baby.
Her own struggles with infertility has also opened her eyes to helping women understand what their body is telling them through the menstrual cycle and various other biomarkers that are so often ignored or not talked about because it seems too personal. She strongly believes in helping her clients learn each and every option available to them as the only right choice is what is best for you, your body, and your family.
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