Our society loves babies. When a woman is pregnant, people constantly fuss over mom and baby to make sure they have what they need. But, as soon as that baby is born, Mom is expected to return to life like she didn’t just spend nine months growing an entire human being inside of her. To add to that, baby is supposed to be happy, sleep through the night, and eat without issues. At Vessel, we realize that there is so much more that happens after birth to mom and baby. That’s why we have created a program that specializes in both postnatal recovery for mom and baby yoga and massage for baby.

Postnatal Recovery for Mom

Our two part program focuses on mom’s body and recovery no matter how long ago she had her baby, as well as including baby for extra bonding and support. After birth, moms are given so little help with their recovery. After two weeks, most are told to be on their way and go raise their kids. If they had *major* surgery during delivery (a c-section cuts through seven layers), they are checked at six weeks and that’s all. They are told that any long-term issues such as numbness, random pain years later, a c-section “shelf” are just part of it. This shouldn’t be the norm.

Through a postnatal recovery, we offer help with a so many areas of recovery from pelvic floor issues, to Diastasis Recti, to nurturing the baby-mom relationship (which helps with postpartum depression and anxiety).

A few things Mom can expect include:

• Access to a community of other moms to help with guidance and support during postnatal adjustment;
• Learning to combat fatigue and enhance feelings of well-being;
• Regaining stability of the core muscles that were stretched due to pregnancy;
• Receiving assistance with healing and recovery of Diastasis Recti and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction;
• Embracing a support system designed to help with self-care, movement, and nutritional guidance.

Baby Massage and Yoga

Massage and yoga is incredible for babies. There is tons of research showing the benefits of touch between caregiver and babies. In fact, they now incorporate massage and kangaroo care in NICUs to speed development. In a study on preterm infant massage, researchers found that babies who had daily massages in the NICU were released an average of six days earlier than those who did not have massage care.

Massage and yoga is not just for babies. Moms can benefit, too. It helps with bonding and learning cues. It also fosters a relationship where mom can feel like she is truly helping with issues like gas and colic. The one-on-one time with mom and baby nurtures the relationship and allows both to feel more trust and awareness. This is ideal for any new mom and baby relationship but especially helpful for moms with PPD/PPA or those who have recently had a NICU baby.

Benefits for Mom

• Increases bonding to allow trust formation between baby and caregiver;
• Develops self-esteem in parenting skills;
• Creates awareness of baby cues;
• Provides a calm environment that reduces the daily stress of a new baby;
• Teaches verbal and nonverbal communication skills for mom and baby; and
• Provides stretches and movement to counteract baby holding and breastfeeding positions.

Benefits of Massage for Baby

• Colic relief;
• Digestive help;
• Better sleep;
• Bonding between mom and baby;
• Heightened communication; and
• Reduction of physical and emotional stress.

Benefits of Yoga for Baby

• Helps counter daily “container” strain to help develop the natural s-spine shape through natural development;
• Increases awareness of body and movement;
• Allows for playtime; and
• Movement aids in digestion and helps relief gas in babies.

For more information on how our programs can benefit you or a friend, please contact us. We would love to answer any questions on how to approach recovery or what you can do for your little ones.