Many of you know Marnie, one of our Massage Therapists and our Business Development Manager who has been with us since we opened the doors.  On Wednesday, she had a beautiful baby girl names Rylee.  Rylee was a little over 8 ounces and a little over 20 inches long.  

We are all so different but we are all so much the same too. We are all affected by stress in our bodies, but some more than others. I feel for a living, it is what I do with my hands, is to feel. Since I have been a massage therapist I can tell that there has been an increased awareness as to where stress is bound up in the patient.

 

 As a prenatal massage therapist, I am always keeping the baby and the mother in mind, and avoiding any areas that could stimulate labor, unless agreed upon by the patient and therapist at the time of her due date.  This is a great way to enter into labor as in that it prepares the client to manage their pain through relaxation and meditations.   My intentions for all the mother’s that come to see me are to address the areas of their discomfort, and to prepare their bodies for labor and delivery.  I will always intend to be on the gentle side of the clients desired pressure, and with calming strokes.

 

I am very grateful to be apart of Becoming Mom, because I know that all of the services that are offered are provided with real compassion from qualified therapists. We know that every birth is unique and has it’s own circumstances, all are very personal and our whole lives revolve around them. I see the importance of touch, because I see the difference in the clients I see at Becoming Mom. It’s fascinating how much stress we hold in our bodies without realizing it. For example, the client will be holding muscles tight, even while lying in a relaxed position. I cannot just feel the difference in the muscle after being massaged; I can see the change in the clients resting position, breathing rate, and overall uplifted state when the massage is complete. I love working at Becoming Mom because we all believe a Happy Mommy is a Happy Baby, and we want to provide mother’s with great ways to enjoy and remember their journey through motherhood. 

 

Yours truly,

 

Katie Bell~

Licensed and Pre-natal Certified Massage Therapist

I adore this place. I am currently just shy of 8 months pregnant and I found this place in my early stages of pregnancy, and loved it from the first moment I walked in. I've bought the Gender Test, I've had facials and waxes and recently scheduled a mani/pedi combo for tmw and am greatly looking forward to it. It's honestly the only place where I feel like I'm doing something for myself to help prepare and relax for the arrival of my child and make time for my own sanity! Thanks for being there!   Connie Emmett

I was recently made aware of some postings on a local blog site that accused Becoming Mom of being disrespectful to women who have had miscarriages because of an advertisement we are running on TLC that says that pregnancy massage has many benefits, including the ability to reduce the chances of miscarriages.

 

My staff and I were very saddened that women would think that we are being disrespectful.  In fact, several of the women that work at Becoming Mom have gone through miscarriages themselves and have devoted their careers to helping women not only have more enjoyable pregnancies, but healthier ones as well… ones which reduce the chances of complications and miscarriages. 

 

We certainly would never claim that massage would help prevent all miscarriages.  There are many, many reasons why women miscarry. But stress does create an in-hospitable environment for pregnancy... it's one of the reasons why women find it hard to conceive when they are stressed and why local fertility specialists recommend that their patients come to Becoming Mom for massages during their infertility treatments.  Even if we can only prevent a fraction of these women from miscarrying because of stress (and the physical ailments that can result from stress), than we want to help those women!!!

 

We base our beliefs not only on our own personal experiences and the experiences of our clients during the 4 years we’ve been in business, but also on multiple reputable research studies.

 

One other thought for today.   One of the other postings on this same site questioned the safety of massage during the first trimester.  There is a common misconception that massage is not safe for the first and last trimester.   This comes from the fact that many mainstream spas will not massage women in their first and last trimesters.  But, that is only because they do not have prenatal certified massage therapists.  A prenatal massage therapist can not only give a women a safe massage during her pregnancy, but also relieve many of the typical aches and pains of pregnancy (such as sciatica). 

 

Happy Pregnancy!

Dawn

 

One day, I was doing some research on the internet about massage therapy, and I ran across a website for an organization called the National Association of Pregnancy Massage Therapists.  I had been working as a Medical Assistant in a local OB/GYN office for 8 years at the time and was very shocked that I had never heard of pregnancy massage.  Everyday, I wished that I could recommend something that would help our patients with all of the discomforts  they suffered from.  I, myself, wished with both of my pregnancies that something could help me with the sciatica and back pain that I was experiencing.  When I learned of pregnancy massage, I knew immediately that I wanted to become a Prenatal Massage Therapist.  I have been practicing prenatal massage for 6 years now and have been working at Becoming Mom since we opened in 2004.  This is the most rewarding work I have ever done!  I love seeing the smiles on my clients' faces after their massages, or seeing them walk normally up the hallway when they could barely walk coming in.  It constantly reminds me why I chose to do this work.  I am now learning the benefits of prenatal massage first hand.  I am currently 16 weeks pregnant and receiving regular pregnancy massages.  I am extremely amazed at the difference it has made for me during this pregnancy versus my previous pregnancies.  I feel great knowing with each and every client that I have made such a difference in their day and in their pregnancy journey.

 

Marnie Gosser

Licensed and Prenatal Certified Massage Therapist

Link: http://www.becomingmomspa.com/spaservices_massages.php

I've worked in hospitals and with doctors for 18 years as a registered x-ray technician and sonographer and have scanned thousands of babies, but I am still amazed everytime I see those little miracles in 4D on the big screen.   I love the enthusiasm of the girls I work with.  Everyone here at Becoming Mom dedicates themselves to the care of every mom, whether a new mom with lots of concerns or an experienced mom who needs an escape.  Not many people can say they love coming to work, but I can, and because of that I can give my best to each and every mom I scan.  I get to share a special moment of seeing their baby for the first time with them and their family and I wouldn't trade that for the world.

Missy Moone, RDMS

 

Link: http://http://www.becomingmomspa.com/ultrasounds.php

Today I am submitting my first blog entry... anywhere, ever.   In the future this blog will contain entries from our Becoming Mom team and from our customers (if you want to submit a blog entry, for now just email it to me throgh the "Contact" tab on this website).  But I thought as the owner I should probably kick it off.  As I considered what I should write about at the beginning of our new blog, I ultimately decided to write about just that... our beginning.  

 

Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life.  But it’s also one that can be stressful and extremely uncomfortable.  If you’ve ever experienced the constant, debilitating pain of sciatica or feet that have swelled to at least two shoes sizes beyond the ones they’re in, you would know what I mean.   My goal in opening Becoming Mom was to make the whole experience of being pregnant more enjoyable.

 

I’ll never forget the week I opened Becoming Mom.  When I heard the jubilant cheers of “It’s a boy!” coming from the ultrasound room… when I saw a woman, who had barely hobbled into the spa only an hour earlier, literally dancing in the reception area after her massage because it was the first time in months she was free of pain… … when I had a woman call to tell us her doctor had said that her ultrasound at our facility had probably saved her baby’s life… I knew I had chosen the right business!

 

We designed our Pregnancy Spa & Imaging Centre Concept to cater to both the physical and emotional needs of our clients.  The 3D/4D ultrasound technology allows mom and her family to see their baby’s face and count his/her fingers and toes for the very first time in a comfortable environment and with the assurance that that they are in the care of an experienced medical professional.   This is not only an incredible bonding experience, but can also facilitate a renewed commitment to a healthy pregnancy. 

 

The spa allows mom to experience services that are designed for her unique physical and hormonal needs… ones that are safe for her and her baby!   But these spa services aren’t just for pampering.   For example, massages performed by our specially trained prenatal certified massage therapists can reduce the chances of miscarriage/complications and can even reduce the time and pain associated with labor.  What expecting mom wouldn’t want that?!   And, if you've been on massage page, you've seen that we even have massage techniques that can improve the odds of becoming pregnant.. something that I didn't even know existed when I first envisioned Becoming Mom! 

 

Almost every day we hear “Where were you when I was pregnant?”   And I think, "Yep, I'm in the right business!"

 

                           Dawn Bierschwal