Raising Awareness for Prenatal and Postnatal Care in NYC

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Raising Awareness for Prenatal and Postnatal Care in NYC

 

Miles for Midwives helps raise awareness for prenatal and postnatal care in New York. 

Raising awareness for prenatal and postnatal care in NYC

Every year we are fortunate enough to participate in some great events through some of our amazing friends. This year we ran the Miles for Midwives 2018 5k run in Prospect Park, a fantastic event that is also child friendly. Miles for Midwives is a professional organization that supports midwifery and midwives in New York. Their mission is to help raise awareness to important issues surrounding birth, prenatal and postnatal care. Last year Miles for Midwives raised $35,000 for their organization through their fundraising.

What is a midwife you ask? Midwives are independent practitioners that provide healthcare — maternity, gynecologic, reproductive, contraceptive and primary healthcare — to women from adolescence through post menopause, and to infants up to 28 days of age”.  Midwives can help you make healthy choices for birth and after-care, working with your health care team.

Why focus on women’s health and Prenatal/Postnatal Care?

The United States has the unfortunate position of being one of the worst countries for infant and mother mortality, especially for minorities, despite the United States being one of the wealthiest countries in the world. If you would like more information on that subject, check out this NPR article that is fully linked to research.

Female complaints, such as chronic fatigue often often go untreated due to not being taken seriously, and women are often subject to longer wait times than men, therefore medical professions that focus on women’s health are incredibly important. That is not to say women are not getting great care because there are a number of resources women can use throughout their lives to improve their chances of getting what they need when they need it. Midwives are just one of the resources. It is, however, important to always remember that a mother may not be getting great care, and that keeping alert for signs of both mental and physical distress are essential as part of a health care team.

Our care-team often work with pregnant women and women in their fourth trimester (what is the fourth trimester?)  One of the most important jobs a massage therapist can fill is to spot potential problems and refer people to the right kind of health care. Consequently, we thought we would take some time to provide a little reader information on some of the potential problems and health care concerns that our care-team often intercepts.

Pre-baby we often focus on pain and stress management in our office but during intake we ask for a full health history. Headaches, swollen limbs, faintness, over-fatigue, and numbness and tingling can all be signs that you need a referral out, and your massage therapist should be happy to give you one. Over the course of my career I have referred a number of patients out for similar reasons, only to learn later that we were able to intervene early in an issue, which avoided a more serious problem later.

Beret Kirkeby Massage TherapistI am currently pregnant, so I understand how confusing some of the symptoms can be! Many of the warning signs are also symptoms of pregnancy!

Additionally, given pregnant woman sometimes have changed their lifestyle, it is extremely important that mothers know there are resource available to them. Letting a mum to be know there is help available to them can be invaluable; they just need to know to look in the right place.

As massage therapists, when we sit down with someone and spend an hour with them facilitating a restful state, we have the luxury of time that medical professionals often don’t have so we can often direct women to resources that they need, such as lactation consultants, doulas, midwifes, and pelvic PT’s. Additionally, we can help a woman understand that it is okay to take an hour a day to seek help with us or another practitioner to help with their stress management.

After the baby is born, it is especially important to continue with self-care. Many women simply do not know help is available for them, mostly because women do not talk about the problems they are having. In fact, after birth 1 in 10 mothers continue to experience pelvic pain after the 3 month mark and after their first vaginal birth, 21% of women may experience incontinence.

Massage therapists who do a quality intake and know the statistics can help steer women to great referrals when they come in for unresolved pain issues or complications.

What can you do to help? 

Continue the conversation on women’s health and participate in great events like the Midwives for Miles next year!

 

Body Mechanics Orthopedic Massage, Prenatal and Postnatal Care

1 W. 34th St, #204

NY, NY, 10001

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prenatal Massage in NYC: What New York Mom’s need to know

Getting a Prenatal Massage in NYC? Here are the top 5 things pregnant working women in New York need to know!

New York City is a fantastic place, full of energy. There is a reason we call it the city that never sleeps! But that same energy may not be so amazing for New York’s expectant moms-to-be.  The average American workweek is a bit over 40 hours a week however a report from The New York office City Controller in 2015  showed that the average workweek in NYC was 42.40 hours, which is right on par with most other major metropolitan areas.

But the report also showed that New Yorkers are commuting longer than most workers to get to where they are going. With the work time and commute time combined New York City full-time workers spend over 49 hours per week either working or commuting, giving them the longest combined workweek in the nation”. This means, “The difference in the length of the workweek for people living in New York City and some of the nation’s mid-sized cities is substantial. For example, the average combined work and commuting week in New York City is about 4 hours and 15 minutes longer than in Milwaukee.  The result: for each workday New Yorkers have some 50 minutes less to be with family or engage in other pursuits than their counterparts in Milwaukee.”

So it’s no wonder services like prenatal massage, where working moms-to-be can rest, relax, and manage pain, are popular in the Big Apple. Women seeking prenatal massage are often dealing with balancing an active life, work, and possible complications from their pregnancy. For many women, it might be the first time they have sought out massage and so they are full of questions. To answer those questions, here are the top 5 things pregnant New Yorkers need to know about prenatal massage in New York.

1.   Can prenatal massage aid in stress and pain management? Prenatal massage offers a lot of benefits to a new or experienced mom-on-the-go. While there are some pretty wild claims out there about what massage can and cannot do for pregnant women, it’s pretty safe to say that having a place to go once a week where they are encouraged to take time to rest, have their achy body rubbed and gently stretch things they cannot stretch themselves, is probably a great plan for stress management. And since higher stress can often amplify pain responses, you might call it a drug free pain management plan too.  It means you get to say “I have somewhere to go if it all gets to be too much”.

2.  Should I check with my doctor? Does insurance cover prenatal massage? For most women massage at ANY time during pregnancy is a-OK but there are a few rarely-occurring conditions that do sideline you from a little massage love, so you should definitely check if that applies to you. Since you are going in regularly for checkups in preparation for your new bundle you might as well ask. Checking with your doctor has some added benefits, too. Some folks have HSA and FSA that covers massage, so if yours does, you can have the doctor write a note and your massage might be covered by insurance. It will depend completely on your personal insurance situation, but it never hurts to ask.

3.  I heard I couldn’t get a massage while I was pregnant, is this true? While we are talking about medical things we might as well mention that there are some pretty interesting myths out there on prenatal massage. The first myth is that you cannot have a massage in your first trimester of pregnancy, but as we mentioned above, so long as massage is cleared with your doctor and you do not have any medical conditions that prohibit it, that’s not true. There are also some funny old wives tales still kicking around that say women should not have their ankles and feet massaged during pregnancy because it can induce birth. Again: not true. If you love a good foot rub after your long train ride go for it. Another big one is that you cannot get a prenatal massage from a male therapist. So long as you’re comfortable with it, there is no reason a male therapist cannot give you the best prenatal massage of your life. If he is available, I would say go for it!

pregnancy table for massage in nyc
Prenatal Massage Table

4. What if I am uncomfortable, need to move, or only want my back massaged? Whatever kind of massage you book, know that this is your time. The therapist’s job is to keep you safe and make decisions that keep you out of harm’s way, but the actual massage, and how it is done, is up to you. Deep pressure, light pressure, only wanting your feet rubbed, or only your legs, it does not matter. It is your time, feel free to speak up about your comfort and desires. The therapist may have a fancy table that lets you lie face down, but if you don’t want to, or are not comfortable in anyway, do not do it! The majority of prenatal massages in NYC are done in a side-lying position with pillows. If you’re not comfortable, speak up and the therapist will make adjustments-this includes leaving to go to the ladies room. Go ahead, we are used to it!

5. How do I know if the therapist is qualified to do prenatal massage?  New York has one of the highest educational standards for massage therapy in all of the United States. The New York State educational requirements are 1000 hours so you are in good hands.  To see if you are visiting a licensed practitioner who has an education approved by the state you can look up their license here; NY State Massage License look up.  Finding a licensed practitioner is the best thing you can do to make sure you have a safe, enjoyable experience. Once you find someone, continue to ask a few questions. Although New York State has a much higher educational standard than other states, that does not mean your therapist will be experienced in prenatal massage. If the therapist is a new graduate the therapist could be working on a permit (before they get the results of their test) and most schools give only a cursory introduction to prenatal massage. Look for someone who specializes in prenatal services. Just because a spa lists it, does not mean that the therapist is experienced. Ask how long the therapist has been performing prenatal massage and what special training they took. Or you can go to one of New York’s many specialized treatment centers geared to prenatal massage.

To book an appointment with our prenatal specialist, don’t be shy! You can find more information about our prenatal massage here.  Or check our prenatal tips page or postnatal tips page. Give us a visit at:

Body Mechanics Orthopedic Massage
315 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212)-600-4808

Postural Changes During Pregnancy and Prenatal Massage from Body Mechanics Massage New York

A descriptive video on the possible postural changes that occur during pregnancy and the use of prenatal massage. Body Mechanics Orthopedic Massage New York are experts in prenatal massage care. This video covers the basic anatomy of a pregnant woman’s spine and pelvis, why they occur, and the possible effects of the changes.