When a child appears in a family, life changes dramatically. You need to go through a difficult path to restore your body. In order for this process to be as effective as possible, at first it is advisable not to lift anything heavy (for example, a stroller), rest more, and eat right. These simple tips will help you avoid health problems after pregnancy. Massage helps a lot to improve your well-being.
By contacting a professional massage therapist, you take care of your health, receive a charge of vigor and good mood, influence all physiological systems in the body, and enhance metabolic processes. Such a pleasant and useful procedure has a positive effect on the nervous, cardiovascular, muscular systems, on the bone and joint-ligamentous apparatus, and on the functioning of internal organs. Rejuvenates the skin, improves muscle tone, relieves fatigue, and returns to its previous shape.
When to start
The earlier the better. You can do it two to three weeks after birth. But in the first months, adaptation to the new way of life occurs. All efforts are devoted to caring for the child. Women, as a rule, switch to themselves and their health after 1.5-2 months. This is the ideal time to start the course.
In the case of a cesarean section, it is advisable to start no earlier than six months later, when the scar has completely healed. In any case, each mother makes the decision on when to start visiting the massage parlour independently, depending on how she feels. The main thing is that there are no contraindications.
You can talk about achieving the desired results by completing at least one or two courses (one course is approximately 10-15 sessions).
Quantity and quality of milk
Returning home with your long-awaited miracle, you forget about everything you had to endure. However, many, as a result of stress during pregnancy and childbirth, experience hellish pain throughout the body, especially in the back. In such cases, a back massage after childbirth is simply necessary. There are often doubts about whether massage can be done while breastfeeding.
Read also Plastic surgery of the perineal area after childbirth (vaginoplasty)
Worried that this healing method may somehow negatively affect the quantity or quality of milk, mothers prefer not to take risks and refuse such a pleasant procedure. Such dedication and willingness to endure pain in the legs, arms and back, just so that your beloved child is well-fed and happy - this is, of course, commendable, but massaging the body does not in any way affect the quality of the milk. And regarding its quantity, we can say with confidence that due to its effect on certain areas of the body, production can even be increased.
Of course, if there is more than enough milk, the nursing mother is advised to wait until she stops breastfeeding. If there is not enough milk, or there is none at all, there is no need to abandon such a useful procedure.
Precautionary measures
Anti-cellulite massage We must not forget about the rules that will help a nursing woman get a massage safely, get benefit and pleasure from it:
- The massage should be done with light movements: gentle pinching, rubbing;
- massage course - 10 days with breaks of 1-2 days, the skin should be allowed to rest;
- During lactation, and at any other time, anti-cellulite massage should under no circumstances leave bruises. Their presence indicates that the procedure was carried out incorrectly or that the skin is hypersensitive;
- To avoid bruising, it is necessary to prepare the body - warm up the skin. This can be done under a warm shower or staying in a bathhouse for about 1-2 minutes (you need to be careful here, since hot procedures may not be beneficial for all nursing mothers);
- If the skin has an increased sensitivity threshold, after the first sessions, small bruises may still form. If they are large or do not go away for a long time, you should immediately stop massage sessions.
Slow contraction of the uterus
In some cases, a young mother is prescribed a special massage to contract the uterus after childbirth. It is necessary when uterine contractions are too slow. This problem does not allow the process of isolating postpartum consequences to start. In other words, lochia (remnants of the placenta, blood clots, burst vessels, dead endometrium, waste products of the child) cannot come out and remain in the uterus. If nothing is done, inflammation may begin, which is called lochiometra.
In addition to pills and injections, the contraction process is started with the help of special massage movements. The doctor gently applies pressure to the uterus. This procedure can be very painful, but it is necessary in order to reduce the risk of possible consequences due to slow contractions of the uterus.
Why do you need to rest for so long after giving birth?
Mother in labor needs rest
As you know, a woman is even given sick leave for 126 days, starting from 30 weeks of pregnancy. That is, it is assumed that even if the expectant mother is not going to go on maternity leave, she will be on sick leave for some time after giving birth. This is reasonable and absolutely normal: despite all its physiology, childbirth is stressful for the body, and it needs recovery.
Be sure to read: Is cupping massage really effective against cellulite?
In today's medical practice, it is generally accepted that approximately 1-1.5 months after childbirth is a time of calm for a woman. There is no need to rush to workouts, fitness, massages, etc. all these days. If you eat right, follow a drinking regime, and start going for walks with your baby, the excess weight will gradually go away. And only a month and a half after giving birth, the young mother became so strong that she could begin intense physical education, training, etc.
Of course, this whole process is individual - some will feel in shape much earlier (although the sensations may be subjective), while for others a month and a half will not be enough to recover. This is normal if you listen to your body, don’t force things, rely on your intuition and do everything with caution.
If you gave birth not naturally, but through a cesarean section, it will take longer to recover - about 2-2.5 months. Again, everything is individual: an important indicator in this case will be the condition of the seam. The doctor who monitors your condition after childbirth should give you the go-ahead for massage and training.
War on cellulite
In the name of beauty, I can’t wait to sign up for training as soon as possible and start doing anti-cellulite, vacuum, lpg massage after childbirth. The desire to please yourself and others is understandable. But we warn you,
the fight against such imperfections as cellulite during breastfeeding will not be effective.
The fact is that the hormonal background during this period differs significantly from the normal hormonal background.
You can do anti-cellulite massage after childbirth, but it is advisable to wait until hormonal levels normalize. To have visible results, be patient until your baby starts eating on his own.
Read also How Oksana Samoilova lost weight after giving birth: diet for a week and sports
In the meantime, you can try vacuum massage after childbirth. It is very popular as it improves nutrition and blood supply to tissues, reduces the severity of stretch marks, and evens out the skin. And most importantly, it helps get rid of orange peel. But there are contraindications. Such vacuum manipulations are not suitable for people with increased permeability of blood vessels.
ATTENTION: there are contraindications. Before coming to the massage room, you should definitely consult with your doctor, since there are a fairly large number of contraindications:
- High body temperature and acute respiratory infections.
- Bleeding.
- Diseases of the circulatory system.
- Inflammatory processes.
- Skin diseases.
- Varicose veins and thrombosis.
- Skin manifestations of allergies.
- Digestive system problems.
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Diseases of internal organs.
- Mental abnormalities.
- Pregnancy.
- Critical days.
Cream, ointment or oil
To improve the glide of hands over the skin, massage therapists use various cosmetics. For pain in muscles and joints - ointment or cream with an anesthetic effect. If a visit to a massage parlor is motivated by a desire to get rid of cellulite as quickly as possible, there is no doubt that anti-cellulite cosmetics will be chosen.
During breastfeeding, you should choose only natural cosmetics. The components that make up artificial cosmetics can penetrate into the blood and breast milk. As a result, the child may experience an allergic reaction. If babies are bottle-fed, it is permissible to use painkillers or anti-cellulite creams and ointments.
Olive, lavender, orange, almond, peach oil and other options are ideal for a nursing mother. The main condition in choosing is your pleasant sensations. Let this be your favorite scent.
Don't forget to do an allergy test. Apply a little oil to your wrist, if within half an hour there is no irritation or redness on the skin, you can conduct a session.
Effect on lactation
The mother's body, experiencing additional stimulation in the form of stroking and kneading, produces more milk. Massage uplifts your mood, relaxes you, and helps relieve stress.
Excitement caused by concern for the health and well-being of the child has a boomerang effect. The mother's unpleasant feelings are transmitted to the baby. He is capricious, does not eat, cries. The mother becomes even more nervous, milk is produced in less quantity than necessary. A vicious circle arises that can be broken by calming the woman down and restoring her confidence in herself and her abilities. An experienced massage therapist will handle the task.
If real massage in the salon is still prohibited, let the young mother ask her relatives to lightly massage her neck and shoulders, make herself a honey or seaweed wrap, entrusting the baby to someone close to her. The cervical-collar area is responsible for back muscle tension, shoulder pain, and headaches, so first of all you need to pay attention to it.
A light self-massage of the face will be pleasant and relaxing.
At home
A young mother can give herself a massage for her chest and abdomen every day. It is quite possible to master some techniques on your own. For example, such as vacuum, honey and water.
Read also: When does hair stop falling out after childbirth?
Vacuum
For the vacuum procedure, you need to buy a special silicone jar at the pharmacy. First, take a warm shower and apply oil to your skin. After which you can begin to secure the can. The suction strength is adjusted by squeezing air out of the can. The jar is secured in the lower abdomen, on the right side. Having secured the jar, start massaging. Movements are carried out clockwise or zigzag for 5 minutes. Then take cover, relax and lie down for about 10 minutes.
Honey
No less pleasant and useful is the honey technique. Use only high-quality natural honey during the procedure. If you are not allergic to honey, this technique can be used once a week. After a shower, dry your body thoroughly with a towel. Then apply a mixture of two tablespoons of honey and a few drops of essential oil to your stomach. Thanks to the honey, your hands stick to your stomach and during the procedure create a vacuum effect, only more gentle than when using a jar. This unclogs the pores. Ten minutes is enough. After the procedure, rinse off the honey with warm water; you can moisturize your body with cream.
How to properly prepare for a massage?
A massage therapist should teach a woman how to prepare for the upcoming session. Regardless of what needs kneading (stomach, neck, lower back), you should take a warm shower: the body should be clean.
Since a young mother has a newborn in her arms, she needs to take into account the demands of the baby. The baby needs to be fed, and only after that the session begins.
The duration of one massage session is thirty minutes. With more time, the baby may require breastfeeding. The session will remain without a proper ending.
The patient’s task is to relax the body as much as possible. Relaxed tissues are easier to massage and the effect will be more intense.
