by Sophie Messager
All around the world, there is a custom to binding the hip and/or the belly for the first few weeks after birth. It makes sense when you think about it. During pregnancy, the body adapts to accommodate the growing baby: the pelvis tilts and widens, the spine curvature...
by Sophie Messager
I hate so-called ‘baby experts’ who promise that your baby will be happy and super easy to look after if you follow their rigid ‘schedule’. Gina Ford is the most famous one in the UK, but there are plenty of similar ones all over the world....
by Sophie Messager
All around the world there are (or used to be) traditional practices to help a new mother’s body heal after birth. Regardless of the continent, these traditions usually include some massage and wrapping rituals, as well as binding the belly and pelvis, and keeping the...
by Sophie Messager
Why waiting 6 weeks after birth to have a massage makes no sense There is a belief in our culture that a new mother needs to wait until 6 weeks post birth before she has a massage. Since I became immersed in the postpartum and since I learnt to massage new mothers,...
by Sophie Messager
In my book, Why postnatal recovery matters, I explain that postnatal recovery boils down to 4 pillars: social support, rest, food and bodywork. Social support is the foundation on which everything else is built. If you are going to rest, have some great nourishing,...
by Sophie Messager
One of the reasons I wrote my book, Why postnatal recovery matters, is because I got fed up of witnessing new mothers struggle and blame themselves for it. As a society we are blind to the needs of new mothers. When they struggle to adapt and adjust to the intense... 