This week I shared on social media how reflexology had helped me during the last weeks of my pregnancy. So I thought that I would share a bit more information about what it is and how it might help you too.
What is reflexology?
Reflexology is a complementary therapy which is based on the theory that different points on the feet, lower leg, hands, face or ears correspond with different areas of the body. Reflexologists work specific points or areas to stimulate blood/ energy flow to support relaxation and improve wellbeing.
We all know that even for those who would describe their pregnancies as 'easy' and 'straight-forward', there is always a time when we need some additional support (whether we seek it or not), and reflexology is one option for improving wellbeing, whether it is emotional or physical (or both).
How can reflexology help in pregnancy: the benefits.
One guaranteed benefit of receiving reflexology during pregnancy is that it allows time away from often busy lives, and provides a time and space where you can focus purely on yourself and your growing baby, and this should not be underestimated.
Reflexology is often chosen by many because of how it can help relieving symptoms of stress and anxiety. As a result, it can also improve your sleep, and we all know that better sleep = better everything, right?
You might also choose to try reflexology for support with other common pregnancy ailments such as morning sickness, digestive problems, heartburn, constipation, anaemia, and general aches and pains (including low back pain), or to help prepare your body for birthing your baby. Last but not least, it is suggested that reflexology might promote hormonal balance so even more reason to look into it during pregnancy and even more postnatally...
Of course, everyone is unique, and so it is not possible to predict in advance how you will react to a treatment and what benefits you will get – but from my personal experience and as I have heard from other mamas, I think that it is worth giving it a try.
What the research says about reflexology in pregnancy and perinatal period:
Two studies have shown that reflexology in pregnancy significantly reduced pain during labour (1, 2) and reduced the length of the first stage of labour (1).
One study showed improved quality of sleep in post-natal women (3).
One study showed that six weekly treatments of reflexology prior to giving birth on for women who experienced low back and/or pelvic girdle pain during their pregnancy significantly reduced the second stage of labour by 44.3 minutes (4).
Reduced pain and stress levels for women with low back pain or pelvic girdle pain (5)Foot reflexology was found to have a positive effect in lowering the total anxiety scores of women in labour (6).
Can reflexology turn a breech baby?
There are various ways of encouraging a breech baby to turn in a more optimal position for birth. If your baby is breech at 36 weeks, you will be offered a manual procedure called an external cephalic version (ECV) in a hospital. During an ECV, a specialised obstetrician will try to turn the baby into a head-down position by applying pressure on the abdomen. The success rate of ECVs is estimated to be around 50%.
Reflexology is now a growing alternative method to try to support babies to turn. As with hypnotherapy, this is obviously on a much more subtle level than the manual turn. The belief is that reflexology can create relaxation in the pelvic girdle and surrounding muscles which, therefore creates space for baby to turn if it is safe for her to do so.
Can reflexology induce labour?
Most babies will be born naturally by 42 weeks, but some are known to be a bit more shy and you might feel that you need a bit of support to get things going. What reflexologists do here again is much more subtle than the medical procedures, they often refer to these appointment as helping to prepare the body for birth rather than inducing labour. Even encouraging relaxation at this time, when you can feel increasingly worried about the birth, can sometimes be enough for labour to start. This is because if your body has high levels of stress hormones, it will essentially be in a fight or flight mode and so it is saying – don’t go into labour but run somewhere that is safe for you. [I cover this in my birth prep courses as this is one of the basic principles of Hypnobirthing too.]
So although there is no evidence that reflexology can induce labour, the general view is that it will help support the body to prepare for the birth and promote relaxation at a time when anxiety levels are often high.
If you are based in Bristol and looking for a reflexologist, here are two recommended professionals:
George Rose: www.soleful.co.uk
Kiki Watkin: https://bristolpregnancymassage.co.uk/
References
(1) Valiani M et al. (2010) Reviewing the effect of Reflexology on pain and outcomes of the labour of primiparous women. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 15 (Dec) p302-310
(2) Iran Red Crescent Med J 2011; 13(7):475-479 ©Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal
(3) Lic Y C et al (2011) Randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of using foot reflexology to improve quality of sleep amongst postpartum women. Midwifery. 27. p181-186
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29024881
(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29705485
(6) The Effect of Foot Reflexology on the Anxiety Levels of Women in Labour. Yılar Erkek Z, Aktas S. J Altern Complement Med. 2018 Apr;24(4):352-360