The wonderful process of pregnancy and childbirth often leaves a woman's body a little worse for wear, from morning sickness and tiredness to aches and pains such as back ache and sciatica through pregnancy and beyond are extremely common. When pregnant or breastfeeding, new moms often are not able or wanting to take any medications.
Why would you consider Bowen Therapy to support you during your conception, pregnancy and beyond?
A successful birth for both mother and child will be more easily achieved when Bowen Therapy is established as an essential element during preconception, prenatal, labour and delivery and post partum.
Bowen Therapy is an incredibly gentle soft tissue and non-invasive form of therapeutic bodywork, which is why it is so suitable for and successful with pregnancy. It treats the whole body and is proven to work on healing existing issues while reducing the likelihood of new problems occurring. Bowen can help maintain health and relaxation for both mother and baby providing excellent support throughout this time of rapid change. It also offers an effective alternative to medication.
Preconception
Bowen can aid in the regulation of menstrual cycles, the balancing of hormones and assist in the process of conception. It is so good at getting the body healthy on a cellular and tissue level that it can really help the body to be more receptive. A couple of Bowen treatments to detoxify and get the body into excellent health prior to conception can go a long way to ensuring a smooth pregnancy.
Bowen Therapy also has an Infertility Program effective in enhancing fertility (in both men and women). A terrific, natural alternative to in-vitro and is especially recommended for those couples trying to conceive who have had other problems ruled out. The success rate has been phenomenal with trials in the UK. For any couples who are interested in the Bowen Therapy please contact me for further information.
Pregnancy
The expectant mothers’ posture will change dramatically as the pregnancy progresses, the spine and pelvis become vulnerable due to the stresses of carrying a baby. Pregnancy can create many symptoms such as morning sickness, tiredness, lower back pain, swollen ankles and feet, heart burn, sciatica, sacral and pelvic pain and a very painful condition called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) along with exacerbate pre-pregnancy issues. Perhaps you already suffered with back pain or an unbalanced pelvis. The good news is that Bowen Therapy is extremely effective in relieving these symptoms. There are no contra-indications to receiving Bowen Therapy during your pregnancy.
Bowen is also particularly useful for re-aligning the pelvis and is recommended around 33-34 weeks of pregnancy before the baby’s head is engaged. This correction of any pelvic tilt encourages and helps the baby’s head to engage within the pelvis and rotate easily within the birthing canal to an occipito-anterior position, which is the optimum position for vaginal birth.
As well it is advised to receive a Bowen treatment at 39 weeks to help the baby’s head drop down further into the pelvis.
If the baby is overdue, certain gentle Bowen moves on the coccyx can be done to encourage labour.
Unlike many other forms of therapy, Bowen can be performed with you either sitting in a chair or lying on your side and as long as you are wearing loose fitting clothing, then treatment can be performed without the need to remove any clothing, thus ensuring the expectant mothers comfort at all times.
During a Bowen treatment it is common for the expectant mothers to say that they can feel the baby become more active in response to the treatment. They find it completely relaxing and rejuvenating, at the end of treatments they usually comment on feeling a sense of ‘space’ in their tummy and loss of pressure on their diaphragm thus can breathe more easily. It is also commonly stated that their energy levels significantly improve and find themselves coping more easily with daily events.
Some find that 1-4 treatments are sufficient to help alleviate symptoms during pregnancy; others prefer a treatment every 3-4 weeks to help them maintain a sense of optimum health.
Mothers have also said that having Bowen seems to reduce the physical stress on their bodies and their babies during the birth process than previously experienced.
Labour
Bowen has been used in labour wards and home births all over the world and can be very helpful in easing the potential discomfort of the delivery. Rick Minnery, a highly experienced midwife in the UK, has also found Bowen to be very effective in turning babies who are posterior or breech. Bowen can aid in the stimulation of more efficient contractions, delivery of the placenta and aid in perineal pain.
Post partum
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owen Therapy can be excellent to support your body in healing to help restore the spinal column and pelvis to pre-pregnancy status. It can also aid in breastfeeding by regulating lactation when over or under production of milk is an issue and the breast moves for lactation problems can be taught to the client so she can self treat at home as needed.
Many new mothers who discovered Bowen Therapy during pregnancy continue treatment after the birth of their child; they become long-term clients and continue to receive the benefits of this amazing therapy.
Babies & Children
And it doesn’t stop there! A baby/child Bowen treatment is very gentle. Many children report receiving a Bowen treatment describe it as a pleasant and relaxing experience. All treatments are carried out through light clothing, while the parent or guardian remains in the room. Treatment can be on couches, chairs, parent’s lap or even the floor and generally take around 30 minutes.
The birth is one of the most traumatic processes a child will go through. Bowen Therapy can be used on newborns within a day after birth to help them recover from birth trauma, ease symptoms of reflux and colic, address feeding difficulties and help them settle into their new existence out of the womb. It can safely help in the expectoration of any fluid or mucous the baby may have inhaled during delivery. As the Bowen is so gentle the child is barely aware of being treated.
Testimonial of 3 week old baby with terrible colic since birth resulted in the mother being up with him literally all night. Just 1 session of Bowen and the baby has been symptom free, eating well and sleeping peacefully.
“Well what a dramatic change! My child is like a different baby! Since the treatment he’s much less colic and last night he didn’t seem to suffer at all! Amazing! Thank you so much, you really are a life saver! I feel like a different person too! Brilliant results!“ Mother
Bowen Therapy has proven to work wonderfully on some of the more common ailments of babies & young children, some of which are: ADHD, Asthma, Autism, Bedwetting, Blue Baby Syndrome, Colic, Constipation, Chest Infections, Dyspraxia, Eczema, Hiccups, Growing Pains, Headaches, Infant Blue Sclera, Panic Attacks, Musculoskeletal Issues, Cerebral Palsy, Aiding Posture, Balance and Co-ordination.
Benefits include: healthier children with better concentration, improved sleeping patterns, enhanced motor control and behaviour, leading to happier children and therefore a happier family. Some childhood ailments may require regular treatments.
Bedwetting Cases
Girl, 7, 3 treatments + ongoing 'top-ups'
T was taken for Bowen treatment because of a bedwetting problem. After discussion with T's mother, it was decided to say the treatment was for her frequent bouts of tonsillitis rather than emphasize the bedwetting to the child. T would wet the bed four or five times a week, and occasionally more than once a night. T's mother was instructed to cut out apples and apple juice from T's diet. T wet the bed three times the first week. She had really enjoyed her Bowen session and was looking forward to the next one. After the second treatment, T wet the bed twice. Following the third Bowen treatment T was completely dry all week and stayed dry for two and a half months (she had one accident during this time). T now has a Bowen 'top up' every two to three months. As a bonus, T has had only one very sore throat in the last year which would normally have required antibiotics but which cleared up naturally after 24 hours much to mum's amazement.
Child 10
I had a child of 10 who was a chronic bedwetter. His grandmother used to wake him every 2 hours to try and keep him dry but with little success. They came to me and I told them about the diet and that it would be a fairly long term treatment. I gave 5 treatments. The grandmother then decided that the Bowen was not working even though he was starting to have longer dry periods. I asked her to please keep him on the 75/25% alkaline/acid diet and to keep his dairy and apple consumption to a minimum. Two months later I received a phone call to say that the kid had been dry for 6 weeks.
Testimonials from Happy Mothers:
“My leg cramps and lower back pain disappeared overnight, never to be seen again, and after several Bowen treatments I feel the best I have throughout the whole pregnancy.”
“At the beginning of the pregnancy I suffered with morning sickness and I felt the Bowen helped me get through this. The days after the treatment were the ones where I felt at my best. Later on in the pregnancy I suffered with sciatica, which was aggravated by the nature of my job by being on my feet all day. Bowen helped relieve my sciatica and by the end of my pregnancy I felt wonderful. Bowen Therapy helped me throughout my pregnancy in many ways and enabled me to have such a positive experience in giving birth and my proudest moment was giving birth to my beautiful, healthy little girl Jessica, who may not have been with us had it not been for Bowen Therapy.”
"I started regular Bowen Therapy sessions during the pregnancy of my 2nd child. Bowen helped alleviate my symptoms of heartburn, rib pain and lower back pain, though for me this was only part of it. Bowen also left me feeling calm and happy and with each session I felt a deeper connection with my growing baby. My Bowen Therapist attended my home birth and performed Bowen throughout the delivery which provided a great support for myself and my baby daughter. I also have a long term knee condition that does not respond to physiotherapy and Bowen Therapy helped my knee instantly by reducing the pain and swelling." K.D.
If you are an expectant mom or a new mom, do consider Bowen Therapy as a complimentary form of healthcare to ensure your good health before, during and after your pregnancy. Please contact me if I can be of assistance.
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