Pregnancy Reflexology

Why Reflexology in pregnancy?

For most women finding out they are pregnant is a time for joy and celebration but there are also times throughout the pregnancy when women may need some additional support and reflexology is one option for improving wellbeing.  There may be concerns about common pregnancy symptoms or emotional issues; however much the pregnancy was wanted there can still be concerns about money, worries about how it may affect the relationship with their partner, what will happen with work? Etc and of course changing hormone levels.

Reflexology in pregnancy aims to optimise the physical and emotional health of the pregnant woman and therapists are also able to provide general lifestyle advice and offer support. One benefit of receiving reflexology during pregnancy is that it allows time away from often busy lives and provides a moment and space where you can focus purely on yourself and your growing baby – this should not be underestimated, it is so, so important that you have time to be able to clear your mind and to think through and talk about how you are feeling about the arrival of a new baby into your life.

  • 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

  • One study showed improved quality of sleep in post-natal women (3)

  • One study showed that 6 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)

There is also plenty of anecdotal evidence of women benefitting from having reflexology during their pregnancy and their post-natal period and is an area for more research.

During your pregnancy, reflexology can help with many discomforts such as:

  • Backache

  • Nausea and vomiting

  • Stress & anxiety

  • Insomnia and fatigue

  • Constipation

  • Cramps

  • And more…!

    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. LI C-Y ET AL (2011) Randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of using foot reflexology to improve quality of sleep amongst post partum women. Midwifery. 27. p181- 186

    3. Iran Red Crescent Med J 2011; 13(7):475-479 ©Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal.

    4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29024881

    5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2970548

    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

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