Pre/Postnatal Support

We are here to support you through whatever stage you are at

Shiatsu in pregnancy can bring a sense of re-connection, calm and confidence to help women trust their beautiful, creative bodies at the same time that they prepare themselves in the best possible way for labor and birth.

Pregnancy is a magical process, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Your body undergoes continuous changes as it nurtures and develops your growing baby in utero. Shiatsu is a holistic therapy that combines meridian massage, acupressure, stretching movements, breathing and postural awareness to support you and your baby along your journey. Relax into the full comfort of our futon on the ground, with props used to create the most appropriate treatment positions throughout your pregnancy.

Shiatsu can help alleviate many of the unwelcome side effects of pregnancy such as:

  • back, neck and shoulder pain

  • sciatica

  • headaches

  • digestive issues

  • constipation

  • nausea and heartburn

  • stress and anxiety

  • sleep issues

However, shiatsu isn’t just about relieving physical discomfort. It also enhances blood circulation and lymphatic flow, reducing oedema and varicose veins. Moreover, it provides emotional support, helping mothers find calm, reduce stress, improve breathing, and prepare for birth and parenthood.

Shiatsu also prepares you for a smoother birthing experience. Encouraging you to move into a peaceful state of preparation may reduce anxiety and can minimise the need for medical intervention during childbirth. Your practitioners can also teach you and your partner exercises and stretches to relieve discomfort, enhancing body awareness during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Treatments also incorporate acupressure points, which will vary depending on your symptoms and stage of pregnancy. By stimulating specific acupressure points, shiatsu aims to balance your body’s energy systems. There is much scientific research now supporting the efficacy of acupressure points. Specific points are used in birth preparation to help you relax and drop down from your head and into the body, releasing oxytocin, the calming hormone that signals that the baby is ready for birth. This makes the points very effective in encouraging the baby to move into a favourable position by opening the pelvic energy pathways. Other acupressure points can be specifically used to help alleviate pain in labour.

“Pregnancy is a very special time spiritually. Women seem to experience the world from a much more inner place than usual, when they are carrying a child. There is a natural inclination to withdraw from the world, to move at a slower pace and with a stiller mind, closer to meditation. For all the physical aches and pains, pregnancy can be a state of grace, when a woman is at her most radiant.”

from Sacred Birth, by Jocasta Crofts (full article on Wellmother)

FAQs

  • The main differences are that you will need to be in different positions: clearly lying on your front will not be suitable after the first trimester. Which positions are most comfortable for you will vary and so your practitioner will be able to offer various choices and be able to adapt if you are not comfortable. During the last trimester, some work will usually be done in a forward leaning position as this helps relieve pressure from your lower back and helps give your baby space to move.

    Since your tissue is relatively softer and you have more blood in your system, techniques will be modified. Treatments usually include some element of moving and pumping your legs and arms to help support the increased bloods and fluids and reduce issues such as swelling and varicose veins.

    Another area which changes is of course your abdomen. We always check in with clients to see if they are comfortable having their belly touched, or worked on when appropriate.

  • Since shiatsu is simply working to support the body then it can not be harmful. Our therapists are trained in working the changes of pregnancy and how to modify the treatment for each individual need.

  • The only times that you shouldn’t have shiatsu or massage is when you need emergency medical treatment: so the times are pretty rare. The kind of situations would include: fitting (eclampsia), vaginal bleeding, severe abdominal pain or vomiting. You probably would not be considering having a shiatsu in these situations, but sometimes they develop quickly. However, once the acute phase is over and you are receiving appropriate medical treatment, then shiatsu can be part of the recovery process.

  • Most cases of morning sickness do respond well to shiatsu. However in more extreme cases, you may wish to seek medical assistance. Your practitioner may be able to continue to support you during your hospital stay.

  • People usually ask this question because they are worried that shiatsu may increase the risk of miscarriage. There is no evidence to support this fear: and indeed receiving shiatsu may help you relax and feel more connected with the changes that are going on in your body at this time. Women are not told to stop working or avoid stress, so having an hour of space of physical and emotional support, can only be of benefit. However you need to feel comfortable receiving touch. And some women don’t feel like being touched during this time.

  • Quite probably, depending on the cause. If you are experiencing lower back ache in late pregnancy, it is probably due to your posture and the position of your baby. The therapist may well include some work in a forward leaning position such as leaning over a ball or sitting on the ball leaning on the table to help relieve this.

  • All our therapists are trained in working with pregnancy, and are aware of the implications of PGP and will adapt your treatment accordingly. We will position you appropriately, work with special techniques and be able to advise on relevant life style concerns. Bodywork has been shown to be helpful. 

    More detailed information from the guru of Prenatal Shiatsu, Suzanne Yates: Pelvic girdle pain /Symphysis Pubis Instability

  • Field T Grizzle N Scafidi F and Schanberg S (1996) Massage and relaxation therapies”; effects on depressed adolescent mothers, Adolescence 31(124 pp 903-11 Field,

    T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Hart, S., Theakston, H., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C., Burman, I. (1999). Pregnant women benefit from massage therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology,, vol 20, no 1, March 1999, pp 31-38

    Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Krasnegor, J., Theakston, T. (2001). Low back pain is reduced and range of motion increased after massage therapy. International Journal of Neuroscience, 106, 131-145.

    Brady LH. Henry K. Luth JF. Casper-Bruett KK. The effects of shiatsu on lower back pain. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 19 (1): 57-70, 2001.

    Field, T., Diego, M., Dieter, J., Hernandez-Reif, M. (In Preparation). Depressed pregnant women benefit from massage therapy.

    Thomas CT; Napolitano PG Use of acupuncture for managing chronic pelvic pain in pregnancy: a case report Journal of Reproductive Medicine for the Obstetrician and Gynecologist , vol 45, no 11, November 2000, pp 944-946

    Hyde E Acupressure therapy for morning sickness. A controlled clinical trial Journal of Nurse-Midwifery , vol 34, no 4, July/August 1989, pp 171-178

    Dundee JW|Sourial FBR|Ghaly RG P6 acupuncture reduces morning sickness Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine , vol 81, no 8, August 1988, pp 456-457

    Smith C; Crowther C; Beilby J Acupuncture to treat nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial Birth , vol 29, no 1, March 2002, pp 1-9

    Carlsson CPO, Axemo P, Bodin A, Carstensen H, Ehrenroth B, Madegard-Lind I Navander C. Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidarum: A placebo-controlled, randomised, single blind, crossover study. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2000, 20(4):273-279.

    De Aloysio D|Penacchioni P Morning sickness control in early pregnancy by Neiguan point acupressure Obstetrics and Gynecology , vol 80, no 5, November 1992, pp 852-854

    Diego MA Field T Hernandez-Reif M Shaw K Freidman L and Ironson G (2001) HIV adolescents show improved immune function following massage therapy” Intern J Neuroscience 106 pp 35-45

    Ernst E Matrai A Magyarosy I Liebermeister R Eck M and Breu M (1987) Massages causes changes in blood fluidity Physiotherapy 73(1) pp 43-5

    Field T Delage J and Hernandez-Reif M 2003 Movement and massage therapy reduce fibromyalgia pain, J of bodywork and movement therapies Jan pp49-52

    Hernandez-Reif M Field T and Krasnego J Theakston H Hossain Z and Burman I 2000 High blood pressure and associated symptoms were reduced by massage therapy J of Bodywork and Movement therapies 4 (1) pp 31-8

    Hovind H and Nielsen SL 1974 Effect of massage on blood flow in skeletal muscles Scand J Rehab Med 6, pp 7407

    Lafreniere KD Mutus B Cameron S Tannous M Giannotti M Abu-Zahra H and Laukkanen E 1999 Effects of therapeutic touch on biochemical and mood indicators in women. J of Alternative and complementary medicine 4 (4) pp 367-70

    Richards KC 1998 The effect of a back massage and relaxation therapy on sleep article J of Critical care 7 (4) 288-99

    Weinberg R Jackson A and Kolodny K 1988 The relationship of massage and exercise to mood enhancement The Sport Pscyhologis 2, pp 202-11 Yamazaki Z Idezuki Y Nemoto T and Togawa T 1988 Clinical experiences using pneumatic massage therapy for edematous limbs over the last 10 years. Angiology- The J of Vascular Diseases, February pp 154-163

Support off the futon

  • Sarah teaches a Prenatal class weekly on Sundays at 11:15am, at Eve Studio Preston.

    BOOK YOUR PLACE

    via the Eve Studio Website, scroll down to the bottom to find the timetable.

    Eve Studio also run a Prenatal class on Thursday evenings @ the Brunswick studio.

  • Music has the ability to transport us, whether that be to a higher sense of consciousness or into deeper into rest. It also has the power to stimulate and sooth our nervous system or conversely to cause anxiety, so the music we choose for yoga, or birth, has to be well considered.

    In pregnancy, music can be the bridge that helps carry the sense of deep rest achieved in your Prenatal Yoga class or home practice into the birth room. I am frequently asked by students for my Prenatal Yoga playlist that is then used on repeat in the birthing room.

    Sarah's Prenatal Yoga Playlist

  • Your practitioner can provide customised exercises and dietary advice for your particular concerns and presentations.

    We work within the framework of shiatsu & East Asian Medicine pattern diagnosis and dietary principles.

    We also have a great network of referrals for those interested in further care from a more western lens (see referral network below).

  • We have a selection of books which you are welcome to borrow between appointments (or for a maximum of 4 weeks):

    Beautiful Birth - Suzanne Yates

    Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin

    Beyond the Birth Plan - Rhea Dempsey

    Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Dr Sarah Buckley

    Ten Moons - Jane Hardwick Collings

    Down to Earth Birth - Jenny Blyth

    The Golden Month - Jenny Alison

    Wonder Weeks - Frans X. Plooij & Hetty van de Rijt

    The Discontented Little Baby Book - Dr Pamela Douglas

    Sleeping like a baby - Pinky McKay

    Raising Compassionate & Resilient Children - Lael Stone & Marion Rose

Supporting Postnatal Recovery & Beyond

Shiatsu continues to be beneficial postnatally. It supports abdominal and pelvic floor toning, relieving back and shoulder aches, and improving circulation and lymphatic flow. It can help with sleep, prevent or support mental health concerns, relieve stress and emotional trauma, support c-section scar recovery, as well as offer nutrition, exercise and breastfeeding support. Afterbirth a mother’s life and her body are changed forever, and bodywork can support these changes for better health outcomes physically, mentally or spiritually for both mother and baby.

Shiatsu isn’t just a massage; it’s a holistic approach to pregnancy helping expectant mothers navigate the journey of pregnancy with greater comfort, confidence, and connection with their growing baby. It’s a gentle touch that can make a world of difference.

Referral Network