The obvious question to come off the recent post about massage during pregnancy is the implications for Bowen Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage in pregnancy. Today I’ll just deal with Bowen Therapy.
One of the wonderful things about Bowen Therapy is that it is safe to use on everyone from newborns to the elderly. Therefore Bowen is perfectly safe for use during pregnancy as long as we avoid the few procedures that engage the coccyx (tailbone). Procedures around the coccyx reflex to the uterus and can potentially cause miscarriage, so once again you must inform your therapist if you are pregnant, even if you aren’t up to the second trimester.
Bowen is otherwise fantastic during pregnancy as it helps to balance out the body and relieve tensions as things shift and move. The sacral procedure is fantastic for the lower back pain and pelvic instability that can arise and the procedure for the vagus nerve may be of use for morning sickness.
If you are considering pregnancy, it can even be useful to get your body balanced out before starting, particularly if you have a history of coccyx damage. I’ll discuss fertility protocols in a future post!