I’ve been feeling called to share a bunch of my favorite postpartum and baby products with you! Then, as I sat down to write my post yesterday, I realized that I would like to include pictures and links for you all, so I needed to make it a blog post instead! If you have any questions about anything, feel free to comment or message me! Here goes…

I found out we were having twins on December 16th. To say I was shocked may be an understatement

This is an interesting deep dive. And I think it’s because, in general, clients complain of shoulder pain or headaches, but not usually of neck pain itself. With that being said, the neck is also the area that I work the most to relieve you of your shoulder pain or headaches! The referrals of the trigger points in the neck just refer up into the head or down to the shoulders. To be honest, the neck is one of my favorite areas to work- especially the anterior neck, because therapists can be scared of this area. But it’s so important to release, and often the missing link!

This week and last, we have been diving into TMJ Dysfunction and how massage can help. Yesterday, Nikki taught a self-massage technique that you can use at home to help yourself! You find that video on our YouTube channel, here. We have already had a few comments letting us know that the technique really helped and it benefiting those who try it. We recommend going check that out!

I’m having a really really good day over here and I am just relishing in it. You know those days that you get so many things checked off your check list and it’s only 11am? Yes, one of those days. I was just checking in with myself, like “hmm…maybe I should take a nap.” But, I’m not tired! Ahhh I love the second trimester. Instead, I sat down to write this blog…for the second time. I started it last week, and it was so good…and I didn’t save it. Gonezo. I was devastated, but I decided to put my computer down and the words would come to me another day in another way. Obviously that wasn’t the blog that was meant to get posted. Moving on.

You’ve seen the meme: 

“Sleep when baby sleeps. Fold laundry when baby folds laundry.” 

Ha. So how do we prepare our family, our homes,, and ourselves for a new baby? As a mom of seven, and 3 months postpartum from my latest addition... this is a topic that is fresh in my mind. In the past, I would get very focused on the labor and birth, then neglect the post-pregnancy planning. These were the times it always seemed there was a bill that ended up being paid late, meltdowns from both the kids and ME at meal-prep times, and an aching back that would nag and nag. I was not a very happy person, or fun to be around. The postpartum brain fuzz and chaos was overwhelming. So this time, I came up with a plan.

Arms and hands are interesting, because I don’t usually have clients with a ton of sore, deep pain, but more of the tingling, numbness and weakness. We use our hands for everything, and therefore our arms. The muscles that move our hands start in our elbow area. There are muscles in your hands as well, but they don’t do the major movements. Another common problem people complain of is carpal tunnel. So let’s dive into this and talk about what you can do for self-care, what other professionals could help, and how massage therapy can help you in your situation.

In the 5+ years that I’ve been practicing massage, I have had many, many clients with foot pain. A few conditions that come to mind especially are first and foremost, plantar facsiitis.

Two weeks ago, Matt got let go from his job. Not enough hours for him, they said. It was a shock, as we didn’t see it coming in the slightest. But, I believe everything happens for a reason, and Matt always has a great attitude on life. Of course, we had to work through all of the emotions. Dang-that was so tiring. I have never realized how draining emotions can be. But, as we did, we now see this as an opportunity. And, as I look back over the past couple of weeks, it’s really interesting. Even though it hit hard, it’s what is meant for us, and new opportunities are opening up everywhere.

You might be surprised to hear this. but massage is not the end all be all. What?! Shocking right? Well it isn’t. It is true that it can help with lots of pain and tension, and it can release pain you’ve been experiencing for years. But, we may get to a point that we have released lots of the pain, but not all of it. The tension still comes back after two weeks, or maybe a month. It always comes back. So then what? I have a few suggestions that may help you get further relief. I recommend these often to clients, and wanted to share what are on the top of the list.

You may have seen my post on Insta and Facebook earlier this week about how I had a couple ah-ha moments on vacation about how easy ditching toxins can be.

As we know, sleep is essential for anyone’s well being. Without sleep, patience wears thin quickly, a fog settles in, and decision making and simple chores can feel impossible. I can personally attest to this, as this past winter, Ethan (my now 10mo old) was a terrible sleeper. I had never felt that kind of fatigue, and I think that is what caused Baby Blues, I could hardly think straight some mornings. No sleep is rough, but what happens when you can’t fall asleep? Or you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep? Or you toss and turn all night? That is also harmful, and will contribute to fatigue and overall not performing at your best.

Have you ever experienced hip, butt (aka the gluts), or sciatic pain? If you have, you will probably be the first to say that it is not pleasant, and many times can be super debilitating. In the past few months, I have had many clients fighting with this, and two in particular whose daily life was completely restricted due to the pain, and they were desperate to fix it.

Remember this teaser from the last blog? “What is Point C? Point C is when you can go a month without pain. When you tell me that you have never been this pain free. When you are able to do activities you haven’t been able to do in years. Point C is why I do what I do. And when you get there, I am almost as elated as you are. It’s an amazing place to be. So keep going.“

So you’ve had pain for months, a year, maybe many years. That sucks, right? Well, maybe you saw my blog post a couple weeks ago about trying Trigger Point Therapy, when you’ve tried everything else. I’m here today to talk about taking this a bit further. I want you to understand that if you have been having pain that you consider chronic, that means it’s been there for a long time. This also means that because it’s been there for awhile does not mean that your pain will go away after one session with me. Although that would be amazing, it’s just not realistic.