The early months with a newborn can be exhausting in a way that's hard to describe until you're in it.
It might seem like a stretch to be able to take time for yourself, to be yourself but it can make a hige difference. So many women sit up at the end of a treatment and tell me it's the most relaxed they have been in a long time. And finding that space for relaxation can mean it feels more accessible at home later, or that you have a little more capacity for life with your little one when you get home.
I'm Emilie, and I offer trauma-aware postnatal massage in Frome (at the Honey Rooms on Catherine Hill) and in Bristol, alongside wider holistic postpartum recovery support in person and online.
If you're considering booking a treatment you can check my avilability here - if you're keen to get more support with the physical and emotional shifts postpartum, I also offer a longer holistic recover package.
What is postnatal massage?
Many people think of massage as either a treat or a fix - but it can offer respite, recovery and rest that's so often missing when you're tending to a newborn.
Although you're no longer pregnant, your body is still in a process of change or possibly recovery. Many women experience diffilculties in the past part of pregnancy, though birth or in the early weeks with their baby that can take a toll on both body and mind. These massage sessions are designed to meet you where you're at - to hold you physically and ease some tension and to offer a trauma-informed and nervous system aware space for you to come home to yourself.
What can it help with?
Relief from aches and pains. Postnatal life is physically demanding, feeding, carrying, bending, all in ways your body is still adjusting to. Massage helps release tension in the areas that carry that load, often the lower back and shoulders.
Healthy circulation. Soothing strokes and lymphatic massage support overall relaxation and may help positively influence circulation.
Feel-good hormones. Massage can help increase serotonin and dopamine, the chemicals behind feelings of wellbeing and calm, which can support you through a stage that asks a lot emotionally.
Sleep well. Many clients report sleeping better after a session. Deep relaxation plus feel-good hormones tend to make for sweet dreams.
Headspace. Time that's dedicated to you and your body, at a time when self care can feel almost impossible. Some clients drift off entirely on the couch.
I think I need more than a massage...
If you're more meaning that you need time and space than 90mins to ease you - I'm totally with you and I offer a three month package that's designed to be built around what you need most. We spend the first session exploring what would support you, whether that's regular massages, movement to help reconnect to your core (diastasis) or pelvic floor or some coaching to help you explore becoming a mother aka 'matrescence '
What clients say
"Lovely calm cosy atmosphere and a really gentle soothing massage." — Natalia Fricker, Frome
"Emilie was super attentive. Her level of pressure was exactly as we talked about and there was plenty of opportunity to adjust if necessary. A lovely massage." — C, Brighton
How to book
Emilie is usually available for massage in Frome (Wednesdays and Fridays at the Honey Rooms) and monthly Sundays in Bristol. If those times don't work, it's always worth asking, there may be a slot that can be arranged.
Emilie's doula training included a workshop with Suzanne Yates of Well Mother and she completed the MotherMassage® certification in massage for pregnancy, birth and postpartum with Elaine Stillerman. Alongside her wider training as an Embodiment Coach, Doula, Hypnobirthing Instructor and Childbirth Educator. Her approach is gentle, science-based and trauma-informed, built from more than 18 years working with birthing families.