It’s important to always spend some time for yourself, but never more important than when you’re caring for a human. And when that human is inside your body, messing with your posture, throwing off your equilibrium, causing your back, feet, pelvic floor, knees, hips, sciatic nerve, and/or tailbone to suffer, there are two things you should consider: massage and realignment. When that human is too small to walk alone, and you’re carrying them around, which affects your posture, your upper body alignment, your feet, your knees, your lower back, your neck… and basically your entire body, there are two things you should consider: massage and realignment.

It’s no secret that I have my favorite people to work on my body, and those of my family, but each person should decide for themselves what they wish, which personalities click, what technique they prefer, etc. What is important is you go to someone who is qualified, and who has the proper education for working on pregnant women and infants. When choosing a provider, ask them questions about their education level, and their style of chiropractic care. Someone who went to school for the extra two years to become educated on a higher level is going to know more than the doctor that spent just a few days discussing anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, and a week talking about how babies differ from adults when it comes to adjustments.

When looking for a massage therapist, talk credentials with them. Do they specialize in anything? Listen for words like prenatal and postnatal massage, deep tissue, shiatsu, sports massage, or gentle touch, heat/cold therapy, hot stones, or things that are important to you. If you’re pregnant, you want someone who knows what pressure points to avoid, and how to properly work on problematic areas.

Most important is safety, as well as your comfort. Being a mom is a hard job! Don’t hesitate to care for yourself, so you can better care for those depending on you!