Abdominal Massage
I am continually learning. I am like a sponge, seeking more information from every avenue and I absolutely love the adventure. For instance, I learned of the value of homeopathy from my midwife during my third pregnancy. When I felt the benefits personally during labour and the incredibly fast recovery from a cesarean with arnica, I dove in and self-taught all about what homeopathy was, its benefits during the perinatal period and the wonderful benefits to my family. But enough on that subject...

A few days ago I learned of an exciting massage called Maya Abdominal Massage. I had heard of the Mexican midwives doing “la sobada”, or abdominal massage, during pregnancy as a regular course of care. But I knew nothing, like the benefits or even the reasoning beyond a wonderful and relaxing massage for mom and baby.

Maya Abdominal Massage goes far beyond relaxation, and thus my excitement. The massage is centered around the ancient Mayan technique which repositions organs that have dropped and restricted the flow of blood, lymph, nerve and chi energy. For women, that means optimal positioning of her "center" which is her uterus.

Let me back up a bit. Before my first pregnancy, I was told I had a tilted uterus. I was lead to believe it was a problem, yet nothing was explained to me and modern medicine has no "cure" for this. Now I am learning that some of the medical concerns I have had in the past are directly related to this. You see, when it tilted to any side, it can "constrict normal flow of blood and lymph, and disrupt nerve connections. Just a few extra ounces sitting on blood and lymph vessels can cause havoc throughout the different systems in the body." (excerpted from Healing Wombs: Maya Abdominal Massage)

Rosita Arvigo, a Chicago naprapath, spent the last several decades in Central America, where she has studied with dozens of traditional healers and midwives, the most notable of whom was Don Elijio Panti, the renowned Maya shaman of Belize. Arvigo says 90% of women will have a misplaced or tipped uterus at some point in their lives. The causes include difficult labor and delivery with prolonged periods of pushing; poor professional care during pregnancy, labor and delivery; repeated pregnancies close together; falls to the sacrum; a career in aerobics or high impact sports and dancing; wearing high heel shoes; poor alignment of the pelvic bones with the spinal column; chronic muscle spasms around the hips, low back and sacrum; carrying young children on the hip for prolonged periods of time; rape, sexual abuse or incest at any time in life; chronic constipation; running or working on cement surfaces with improper foot support; and errors committed during surgery that cut through uterine ligaments.

I started out with a tilted uterus, how did that relate to my subsequent reproduction? Here are the symptoms of a tilted uterus:
• Painful or irregular periods
• Dark thick fluids at the beginning and end of the period
• Blood clots
• No menstruation at all
• Headaches, especially with the period
• Dizziness with the period
• Varicose veins
• Tired legs, numb feet or sore heals
• Lower back ache
• Infertility
• Endometriosis
• Endometritis
• Uterine Polyps
• Painful intercourse
• PMS
• Uterine infections
• Frequent urination
• Ovarian cysts
• Vaginitis
• Hormonal imbalances
• Difficult pregnancy and delivery
• Weak newborn infants
• Premature deliveries
• Difficult menopause
• Cancer of the cervix, uterus, colon or bladder

It can also lead to cesarean section, which I had three of, and I have had more than my share of the above symptoms in the last 12 years, including infertility, an ovarian cyst, lower back ache, tired legs and more. I learned it is incredibly useful for post-cesarean mothers in reducing the adhesions.

I am excited to say that I have found two practitioners in Edmonton who do this type of massage, one taught by Dr. Arvigo herself. For more information, check out www.arvigomassage.com.