Postpartum Perspective- Massage Therapy

As a massage therapist in training, there is something I believe to be deeply central to how we care for postpartum mothers.

A postpartum body is not just recovering. t’s recalibrating.

After birth, a woman’s body experiences one of the most dramatic hormonal, physical, emotional, and nervous system shifts a human can go through. Muscles that spent months compensating for pregnancy suddenly change again overnight. The nervous system goes from labor and survival mode into round-the-clock caregiving. Sleep disappears. Feeding positions strain the neck, shoulders, ribs, hips, and lower back. Hormones fluctuate rapidly.

And so many mothers carry all of this tension by themselves.

From a massage therapist’s perspective, postpartum care is often less about pampering and more about helping the body finally exhale.

Most postpartum women are carrying an overwhelming amount of tension.

• tight shoulders from feeding and carrying the new baby (and their other kids, if they have them)

• pelvic and hip instability

• lower back pain

• rib tightness

• nervous system exhaustion

• shallow breathing patterns

• physical signs of chronic stress and hypervigilance

Massage therapy can help remind the body that it is safe enough to soften again.

As a soon-to-be massage therapist, I am passionate about nothing more than caring for the caretakers. I think there’s something deeply profound about caring for mothers physically during postpartum. So much attention immediately shifts to the baby, while the mother’s body is expected to keep functioning through pain, depletion, hormonal shifts, and sleep deprivation.

Postpartum recovery deserves overflowing support. Not because mothers are weak, but because birth is physically, emotionally, and spiritually massive, even amidst the beauty of it all.

I think a lot of postpartum healing happens when women feel genuinely cared for, supported, and allowed to rest. And high-quality therapeutic touch is just another way we can help them get there.

Sarah Hermanson

Wellness Practitioner In Training.

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Sonal Patel