Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner
I am excited to share that this past Spring I became a Spinning BabiesⓇ Aware Practitioner. I want to elaborate a little bit about what that means and what I am now able to offer my clients.
First, about my prenatal massage background. I became a massage therapist in 2007 and immediately took further training for pre/postnatal massage and have loved working with moms-to-be ever since! I fell in love with helping relieve mom of her discomforts as well as the connection with the baby. Through the pregnancies and births of my 4 children, my understanding of the pregnant body grew. In 2019 I took the one day Spinning Babies workshop that broadened my knowledge even more. Since then I have been able to take what I learned in the workshop and enhance my own skill-set through my everyday hands on prenatal massage work. I also teach a lot about body dynamics for a better birth in my HypnoBirthing course.
I have had my mind set on the Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner training for several years and finally completed it in April 2023. Here is how Spinning Babies Ⓡ describes their approach.
“Easier birth with fetal positioning. We believe that fetal positions are not random, that babies fit the space available. Yet, thinking of the size of the baby or the pelvis is not enough. Birth anatomy can be flexible. Both the uterus and the pelvis have more available room when the muscles and other soft tissues are balanced.”
My favorite line they use to describe the work we do is, “Physiology before force.” I could go on and on about how this is important in not only pregnancy but in birth. But to be put simply, nothing needs to be forced to do something.
My approach to massage has always been following the lead of my clients muscles. I am not there to make muscles do anything, they are allowing me in. Even the most subtle work can result in big changes.
Ok, how this training fits into my practice! My prenatal massage includes some of these techniques already but what I am excited to now have is a new offering called the Body Balancing session.
What is this Body Balancing Session? While anyone can receive this work and reap its benefits, it is specifically to help babies that are in a breech position.
At 32 weeks 7% of babies are not head down yet. 3-4% of those babies will still be breech at birth. So, 50% of those babies are still going to turn! Most of them will turn on their own but it is good to be mindful of your body and help create space for the baby to turn.
A Body Balancing Session is different from my prenatal massage. This 60 minute session is done in clothing on my massage table. We will do numerous stretches and palpations to help create space in your body. Some massage is done on the skin on your lower back and belly. At no point am I moving or changing the position of your baby but by addressing the muscles, tendons and ligaments, around your uterus and pelvis, it creates room for your baby to move on their own. I will also discuss techniques that you can do at home. This session would be done starting around 32 weeks and can be repeated until the baby moves head down if that is what they are meant to do.
I am so excited to add this to my offerings. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
~Caroline