Perinatal Services
If you are seeking support around miscarriage or abortion, click here.
Navigating the months leading up to the birth of a baby, not to mention the months and years afterwards, is a journey unlike any other. It's not uncommon for this journey to have begun years before you see that first positive pregnancy test.
Some of the parts of this journey that can feel an impact, and which I am trained to support, are people's pelvises, sex lives, relationships, and beliefs. Let me break this down for you in a bit more detail, and if you are interested in knowing even more, don't hesitate to contact me. (Please note that I have training in hands-on therapies. I do not provide these therapies, however I provide take-home education to help you benefit from some of these practices. I can also make referrals if professional manual therapy is something you're seeking!)
Your Pelvis
Pelvises work hard for our wellbeing, and they carry the stresses, anxieties, and traumas (big or small) that we've encountered in our lives.
Depending on how your new addition has come to be, pelvises during the ttc window can really feel the effects.
Pre-existing conditions such as vulvodynia, vaginismus, and scarring from previous episiotomy (or c-section) can be irritated or exacerbated while trying to conceive, and this can cause an increase in tension in the pelvis as the area routinely braces itself to withstand pain and discomfort. Teaching take-home skills of myofascial release work, scar tissue remediation, and other supports can greatly improve these discomforts.
During pregnancy, the pelvic floor bears an increasing weight as not only baby grows but internal organs shift to make way. This hammock of muscle and fascia is incredibly powerful, and can also benefit from the education I'm able to provide during this rapidly changing time.
Leading up to the birth itself, the floor of the pelvis can benefit from manual therapy such as perineal massage and sensation mapping to assist both in the physical process of delivering baby, and also in the sense of familiarity and confidence when faced with the new sensations that giving birth introduces. Educating you or a partner in how to properly provide these exercises can give you access to this work at home.
Your Sex Life
Whether you get to climb into bed and hope nature takes its course, visit a lab and deal with daily injections and handfuls of meds, or one of the other ways to try for a pregnancy, the journey you're on is likely to show up in your sex life. Once you see that BFP, a whole new round of considerations might enter your intimate connection.
Not only can pregnancy be a time when the shifting hormones and sensations offer new opportunities to explore pleasure, but it's a golden window before the focus shifts, at least slightly, onto the new little human in your life.
People come to see me for support around navigating the physical changes, the new variety of libido states that both parents-to-be can experience, and how to nurture a fulfilling sex life throughout and after pregnancy.
Your Relationship
This isn't meant to separate your relationship and your sex life, as these things are often deeply entwined. Rather, this speaks to the day-to-day.
Approaching major life changes, we can expect that some of our deep-seated "stuff" may appear. The fears, beliefs, coping strategies, and expectations that have found their groove under the surface can pop up unexpectedly and create dynamics that feel unfamiliar. Not only is this perfectly normal, but there are plenty of tools and skills to navigate this very human reaction to change, and I can help with this.
I can also support you and your partner as you plan for the birth itself. The role of supporting someone you love as they labour and birth a baby can be an intense experience. Having the chance to talk about expectations, values, and fears beforehand can help you create a positive and nurturing experience.
Your Beliefs
What we believe about our bodies has a major impact on how we react to the things our bodies do.
There is nothing quite so huge and involuntary as giving birth, and though this completely natural bodily experience is written into our capacity on the deepest levels, most of us have been raised to view birth through a lens of fear. A fear mindset goes directly against what nature has in store when it's time to deliver the baby into the world, yet it weighs down almost everyone.
My training and experience as a birth doula taught me that one of the most important parts of that supportive role was to help parents unlearn their fear and relearn a sense of connection and trust with the birthing body. Somatic work is incredibly powerful in supporting people through exactly that kind of relearning in the body, and I love to see the transformations in clients who have reconnected with their sense of power, peace, and ability to birth.
Your Body's Beliefs
Sometimes getting ready to give birth can open the doorway to traumas you've held onto, which can cause a sense of fear or panic around the idea of delivering a baby. I can work with you to reconnect with the profound wisdom held in your body (who knows exactly how to deliver a baby), and to unwind the trigger response in the body before the big day arrives.
If you are seeking support around miscarriage or abortion, click here.
Navigating the months leading up to the birth of a baby, not to mention the months and years afterwards, is a journey unlike any other. It's not uncommon for this journey to have begun years before you see that first positive pregnancy test.
Some of the parts of this journey that can feel an impact, and which I am trained to support, are people's pelvises, sex lives, relationships, and beliefs. Let me break this down for you in a bit more detail, and if you are interested in knowing even more, don't hesitate to contact me. (Please note that I have training in hands-on therapies. I do not provide these therapies, however I provide take-home education to help you benefit from some of these practices. I can also make referrals if professional manual therapy is something you're seeking!)
Your Pelvis
Pelvises work hard for our wellbeing, and they carry the stresses, anxieties, and traumas (big or small) that we've encountered in our lives.
Depending on how your new addition has come to be, pelvises during the ttc window can really feel the effects.
Pre-existing conditions such as vulvodynia, vaginismus, and scarring from previous episiotomy (or c-section) can be irritated or exacerbated while trying to conceive, and this can cause an increase in tension in the pelvis as the area routinely braces itself to withstand pain and discomfort. Teaching take-home skills of myofascial release work, scar tissue remediation, and other supports can greatly improve these discomforts.
During pregnancy, the pelvic floor bears an increasing weight as not only baby grows but internal organs shift to make way. This hammock of muscle and fascia is incredibly powerful, and can also benefit from the education I'm able to provide during this rapidly changing time.
Leading up to the birth itself, the floor of the pelvis can benefit from manual therapy such as perineal massage and sensation mapping to assist both in the physical process of delivering baby, and also in the sense of familiarity and confidence when faced with the new sensations that giving birth introduces. Educating you or a partner in how to properly provide these exercises can give you access to this work at home.
Your Sex Life
Whether you get to climb into bed and hope nature takes its course, visit a lab and deal with daily injections and handfuls of meds, or one of the other ways to try for a pregnancy, the journey you're on is likely to show up in your sex life. Once you see that BFP, a whole new round of considerations might enter your intimate connection.
Not only can pregnancy be a time when the shifting hormones and sensations offer new opportunities to explore pleasure, but it's a golden window before the focus shifts, at least slightly, onto the new little human in your life.
People come to see me for support around navigating the physical changes, the new variety of libido states that both parents-to-be can experience, and how to nurture a fulfilling sex life throughout and after pregnancy.
Your Relationship
This isn't meant to separate your relationship and your sex life, as these things are often deeply entwined. Rather, this speaks to the day-to-day.
Approaching major life changes, we can expect that some of our deep-seated "stuff" may appear. The fears, beliefs, coping strategies, and expectations that have found their groove under the surface can pop up unexpectedly and create dynamics that feel unfamiliar. Not only is this perfectly normal, but there are plenty of tools and skills to navigate this very human reaction to change, and I can help with this.
I can also support you and your partner as you plan for the birth itself. The role of supporting someone you love as they labour and birth a baby can be an intense experience. Having the chance to talk about expectations, values, and fears beforehand can help you create a positive and nurturing experience.
Your Beliefs
What we believe about our bodies has a major impact on how we react to the things our bodies do.
There is nothing quite so huge and involuntary as giving birth, and though this completely natural bodily experience is written into our capacity on the deepest levels, most of us have been raised to view birth through a lens of fear. A fear mindset goes directly against what nature has in store when it's time to deliver the baby into the world, yet it weighs down almost everyone.
My training and experience as a birth doula taught me that one of the most important parts of that supportive role was to help parents unlearn their fear and relearn a sense of connection and trust with the birthing body. Somatic work is incredibly powerful in supporting people through exactly that kind of relearning in the body, and I love to see the transformations in clients who have reconnected with their sense of power, peace, and ability to birth.
Your Body's Beliefs
Sometimes getting ready to give birth can open the doorway to traumas you've held onto, which can cause a sense of fear or panic around the idea of delivering a baby. I can work with you to reconnect with the profound wisdom held in your body (who knows exactly how to deliver a baby), and to unwind the trigger response in the body before the big day arrives.
These services are provided through a trauma-informed lens, as well as from a feminist, queer, and trans* inclusive perspective. Seeking pregnancy-related services is not assumed to flag for me your gender identity, sexual orientation, or relationship style or status.