Hi everyone
I'm not a maternity reflexology specialist, although I have just signed up for a caring for pregnant clients course. Also I am reading up on fertility and pregnancy reflexology too, and have bought Suzanne Enzers manual. However, my query is if you are treating a client who is trying to conceive, then chances are she COULD be pregnant, or become pregnant during a course of treatment. We are also advised not to treat first trimester pregnancies! I've been madly researching ovulation calenders, etc, but these are not a guarantee of when a client might fall pregnant during their cycle. So how do you approach treatment of clients trying to conceive without risking treating when in early pregnancy by mistake?! Or do you carry on treating until definitely confirmed pregant, but just go very light between ovulation and menstruation?? Help!
Many thanks,
You've got two choices. Either you don't treat anyone trying to conceive "just in case" or you treat and trust your therapy. The reason we're taught not to treat in the first trimester is that if something does go wrong, you wouldn't want to be wondering if it was something you did.
Here's the thing. In the scope of the normal treatment you wouldn't be going near the reflexes that can stimulate labour in any case. You'd want to go lightly over the uterus anyway because that may be sensitive at any time. But balancing (rather than stimulating) the endocrine system could make all the difference to your client, not only with their ability to conceive but also in those first mental weeks of hormonal turmoil that are the first trimester.
So the things to consider are the reasons for the contraindication of the first trimester. It's all down to risk of miscarriage, and certainly a large proportion of pregnancies fail in those first 12 weeks. In almost every case they are due to chromosomal abnormalities. There was one case of a reflexologist being sued for causing a miscarriage but the case was rejected.
In the end the choice is yours. Because the biggest contraindication is unwillingness on the part of the client or the practitioner to go ahead with the treatment. And if you don't feel comfortable about treating, don't treat.
Hope that makes sense, and hope it helps
Dear Sparkie
I totally agree with Ismorgan, so I won't repeat her accurate words to you. I would only like to ask a question in order to think what would be the right answer.
My only question would be, from the physiological point of view much more than from the practical: what can be the problem when stimulating uterus or the endocrine system in the first trimester of pregnancy?
From my point of view, nothing might happen. What can cause a miscarriage? If the corpus luteum is not transforming into placenta, then there would be no environment for the foetus to develop and a miscarriage can occur. Still trying to think aloud:
How can the Reflexology treatment can affect the development of the corpus luteum?
Answer: No scientific answer.......Gut feeling: won't affect at all.
What can be the effect of stimulating the reflex zones of the urogenital tract?
Answer: No scientific answer...... Gut feeling: Nothing
At that time, there is what I call the "umbillical communication" between baby-to-be and mum-to-be. The two of them are from now an indivisible diada. If the mum-to-be needs support, so does the baby-to-be. He/she will be probably happy that his/her mummy-to-be is receiving what she considers necessary for herself and tries to follow her instincts, which as a matter of fact are probably influenced by the hormonal changes she is going through.
Probably the name of the game at this stage is how much self-confidence is there in this relationship that can also include the therapist.
Painfully our great concern is based mainly on the fear we have developed against laws and corporations, just in case....
But if we follow the patterns of nature, we will be giving support to another human being who probably needs that support. And then, my everlasting question: how long, how far, how much are we still going to fear the "almighty powers" 😮 of Reflexology?
Who has made of Reflexology that "dangerous" reputation?
Reflexology doesn't stimulate a single organ, but the person in order to find his/her own balance. Reflexology provides power for the self-healing process.
In order to achieve this, sometimes we must provide our clients with some faith in themselves and some never-damaging self-confidence instead of fear or overdoses of caution.
The body after all is very wise;) and knows what to do.
Love,
Moshe Kruchik
I work by a simple moto ..... Reflexology works to restore balance to the body ..... balance is good and healthy. Reflexology WILL NOT encourage the body do anything which it isn't already going to do.
Ask yourself this ... when stimulating the heart reflex will that induce a heart attack ??
Yes there are acupuncture points on the feet which do have uterine stimulating properties L3, SP6 etc .... just go gentle and trust that the body knows exactly what it's doing.
I've now helped at least 40 ladies in the last 2 years achieve pregnancy and every one of them has been treated before, during and after ovulation and continuing weekly post PPT.
meridianmoon xx
Hi Meridianmoon
Can't agree with you more.
Love
Moshe
Thats great statistics Meridianmoom,well done you...I wish i had your expertise..its an area close to my heart! I have had one pregnancy sucess with one of my clients,and she was only one who came regularly weekly for arnd 5mths.....and had been trying for over 10yrs with various other methods..I didnt do anything in particular just a normal treatment....maybe its the regular treatments that do the trick?
I've not a great deal of experience (yet) with maternity reflexology, but as a shiatsu practitioner, if I have a client who is trying to conceive, I'll assume that she may well be pregnant and work accordingly avoiding contraindicated points.
Hi Sparkie,
As I only qualified early this year, I was very interested in your thread.
My question is how long does the benefit of regular reflexology last?
Two of my four female case studies, became pregnant five months after the completion of their 10 x weekly sessions. One client had started trying to get pregnant at the end of the course of treatment (IBS sufferer) and the other hadn't really planned on a pregnancy (treated for relaxation).
It would be good to think there is a long term benefit to a course of treatments and that the body can remain in a balanced state for weeks and months later.
I would love to think the treatments had helped in this outcome but think it was probably coincidence.
Time, money and clients allowed, I would love to take a 'reflexology for pregnancy' course, something for the future I think.
Best wishes
Peppermint 🙂
Two of my clients who came to me with unexplained infertility (trying to conceive for over a year with investigations showing no underlying cause) have gone on to have more children. I don't know about the others as I've lost touch, being 100 miles from where I used to be. Both these women came for weekly treatments for 3-4 months and then throughout their pregnancies and had no problems conceiving their second or subsequent babies (one has two, the other is expecting her 3rd)
Hope that helps