Nurture Massage Therapy SATX

✨Happy International Homebirth Day!✨
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As many of you know, 13 weeks ago I brought my second born earthside, and I did it in the comfort of my own home. It was one of the most difficult, humbling and magical experiences I’ve ever had, and I’m so glad I chose this option for me. I won’t ever forget it.

I’m so thankful for the community of birth workers we have in San Antonio, because they are truly amazing. I’m even more thankful for my birth team who guided me, encouraged me and gave me strength when I wasn’t sure I could do it.
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I’d love to know your favorite San Antonio birth workers, so tag them in the comments!

Thank you

jandra


📸:.jandra

Happy Sunday friends! I hope your week and your summer is off to a wonderful start. I just wanted to share that I had some availability pop up this week! Click the link to book:

https://www.nurturemassagesatx.com/booking

Co-sleeping, or the practice of sleeping close to your baby, whether it's in the same bed or within arm's reach in a separate sleep space, has been a traditional parenting practice in many cultures around the world. Here are some of the compelling benefits of co-sleeping that you might want to consider:

Enhanced Bonding: Co-sleeping fosters a strong emotional bond between you and your baby. The close physical contact promotes feelings of security and comfort, which can lead to a deeper attachment between parent and child.

Facilitates Breastfeeding: Having your baby nearby makes nighttime breastfeeding more convenient. You can quickly respond to your baby's hunger cues, leading to more frequent and successful breastfeeding sessions, which is crucial for establishing a good milk supply and ensuring your baby's nutritional needs are met.

Regulates Baby's Body Temperature and Heartbeat: The proximity to your body helps regulate your baby's body temperature and heart rate, promoting better physiological regulation and reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Promotes Better Sleep for Parents: Contrary to popular belief, co-sleeping can actually lead to better sleep for parents. Instead of having to get up and walk to another room to tend to your baby's needs, you can easily comfort and soothe your baby back to sleep without fully waking up.

Increased Sense of Security: For newborns, the transition from the womb to the outside world can be overwhelming. Co-sleeping provides a sense of security and familiarity, mimicking the closeness and warmth of the womb environment.

Facilitates Responsive Parenting: Co-sleeping encourages responsive parenting, where you can promptly attend to your baby's needs throughout the night. This responsiveness fosters trust and security in your baby, laying the foundation for healthy emotional development.

Promotes Better Sleep Patterns: Babies who co-sleep often develop more regular sleep patterns, as they feel secure and comforted by the presence of their parents. This can lead to improved sleep quality for both babies and parents in the long run.

Now that you’re a mother
they say that you will change
and what a gift it is
to never be the same.
To take with you the old
and rearrange the new
to hold a little hand
that grows alongside you.
You’ll hope you don’t forget
you’ll try to remember ‘then’
you’ll drift back to the good old days
seeing now, that this
was them.

- Jess Urlichs

I hope you are all enjoying your “good old days” and have a very Happy Mother’s Day 🥰

✨Well friends, we did it!✨
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This little guy took me by complete surprise and he arrived right on time. Baby Mateo arrived very early Sunday morning and my family and I have been enjoying all the newborn snuggles these past few days.
I’m so grateful for all of the support we’ve had not only in our own families but the amazing village of women who were my birth team. Thank you so much, it was such a beautiful experience to be held in love, compassion and nothing but confidence that we could do this. Thank you. At some point I’ll share my birth story but for now we rest.


jandra


📸: .jandra

🎶Music in labor🎶
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I’m starting to create my birth playlist and wanted to know what your favorite song was!

Music can be a wonderful tool to help motivate you to get up and moving, it can help calm and relax and can help bring focus to breath during moments that feel overwhelming…like in labor and childbirth!

Here are just a few things to consider if you are deciding whether a birth playlist is right for you:

Music can:
✨ Reduce pain and by using it as a stimulus, your body perceives other stimuli (like pain) less
✨ Distract and help pass time
✨ Help regulate breathing by matching breaths to the different musical phrases and audio cues
✨ Improve the ability to manage stress by giving you something else to focus on, and can lower heart rate and and blood pressure
✨ Influence hormones, by increasing oxytocin and beta endorphins and decreasing catecholamines which are hormones that slow labor
✨ Influence emotions and provide emotional support
✨ Help create an intentional mood to your birth environment, whether you want it to be more relaxed, empowering, fun, meditative, etc
✨ Offers you control over your birth environment, especially if you can’t control the environment you may be in, empower yourself with music
✨ Help reinforce your memories of the birth
✨ Help promote boding with your partner or baby

So let me know if the comments, did you have a birth playlist? And what if you did, what was on it?

Why the heck am I using an ironing board in my session??
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Today I did a Body Balancing session and had the honor of working with the sweetest mama whose baby was in the breech position. Her goal was to encourage her baby to turn and we worked hard to help make space so baby could turn if they wanted to.

One of the ways we supported this was by putting mom in the breech tilt. To do this, I used the ironing board as a slanted surface and had mom’s head on the pillow while the rest of her body was propped up on top of the ironing board. She rested and focused on her breath, while I provided gentle soft tissue work to her belly, lower uterine ligaments and diaphragm.

I learned this technique from and and it has been so helpful!

By putting the mom in this position we are using gravity to help disengage baby from the pelvis, while compressing and releasing the tissues of the uterus. This position can be so helpful to allow for a different way for me to work this area, and can show baby that they may have more room to move once mom is back upright.

In addition to the breech tilt, I was able to get mom on my massage table and I worked different areas that could be restricting baby’s space and helped educate her and her husband about different activities they could do to help support more space in her body.

I love doing these sessions, because it’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with parents and show moms the different opportunities there are to feel better in their bodies.

Did you try anything to help create space and balance when you were pregnant? Let me know in the comments!

What were your favorite snacks during labor?
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Childbirth and labor is like running a marathon, and making sure that you are well nourished during this process is so important. Your uterus is a muscle that is doing some serious work trying to get baby out and muscles need fuel for energy, which it gets from food. Not to mention what the rest of your body is doing.

I’m in the midst of planning what snacks and hydration options I want available for my own upcoming home birth and wanted to see what worked best for you mama’s, and maybe some of your suggestions can help others wondering about this too!

If you are laboring in a space where they encourage you not to eat or simply won’t “allow” you to eat, I encourage you to do some research on the reasons why, ask your providers to see the evidence for why they may have this policy and see if they know about the updated research on the purported risks. (There’s a great article on this from Evidence Based Birth that I am more than happy to share a link to.) And if you feel its best for your situation, this may be an opportunity to exercise your right to informed consent and refusal within a healthcare setting.

In my own first hospital birth (with midwives), I don’t remember being denied food, but I don’t remember eating much, if anything and I certainly remember the exhaustion. This time around I want to be a little more prepared.

So let me know in the comments what you loved when you went into labor or what you are planning on having available for when that day finally arrives.

Help me out and let me know in the comments, what are your favorite ✨ birth affirmations✨?
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As I get closer to my due date I’m starting to think about what my birth will look like and the different tools I intend to use once in labor.

One thing I know I want to use is birth affirmations! I’ve used affirmations before for various situations or seasons of my life, and I’ve even shared some here and on my website.

Affirmations can be so powerful, especially in pregnancy and birth. It can help replace feelings of anxiety and fear with a belief in yourself and a belief in your body. It can help you focus your thoughts, channel strength and allow for trust in the difficult moments.

When I get a little closer, I intend to do some birth art with these affirmations, creating a banner or cards to hang around my birth space so I can see them and be reminded. I’ll ask my partner, and my birth team to whisper these to me in my own moments of difficulty.

So tell me, what are your favorite? How did you use them? And if you haven’t or haven’t thought about this, will you now?

🎄I’m officially out of office for the holidays y’all!🎄
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I just finished my last appointment for today and my office is closed officially starting tomorrow Friday 12/22 - Tuesday 12/26 . I hope you all have a wonderful holiday break and I’ll see you next week!

And if you missed it, my January 2024 is officially open to book. So be sure to go get a spot!

I’m so excited to invite all my pregnant mama’s to this beautiful event hosted by all of us at the
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Ceremonies and rituals are ways in which we bring intention, reverence and commemorate specific moments in our lives.

Conception and birth are ceremonies in and of themselves. RISE Care Collective, will now be offering seasonal ceremonies for those embarking on this motherhood journey.

A Mothers Blessing is an invitation to pause, and participate in beautiful and meaningful rituals to honor your journey and the growing life within.

This signature event will happen once per season and we encourage you to participate in the season closest to the month you expect to give birth.

Expecting mothers will gather for a meal during this ceremony, make connections within the community and will be sent off with beautiful memories and a keepsake for their journey through birth.

We will gather from 6:30-8:30.
Cost $25

Link to RSVP:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mothers-blessing-tickets-758031802527?aff=oddtdtcreator

Clase Para Un Parto Empoderado y Humanizado — Rooted Birth | San Antonio, Texas Doula Collective No podemos decir esto lo suficiente... ¡necesitas una clase de parto! Los temas de clase incluirán: Fases y etapas del trabajo de parto Técnicas de confort Intervenciones comunes Creando un plan de parto Posiciones para el trabajo de parto y el nacimiento Posparto inmediato

🚨PLEASE REPORT THIS IG FAKE ACCOUNT🚨
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This morning I found that someone is trying to clone my business Instagram account. If you have and IG account, I would truly appreciate it if you could take a moment to report it, so it can be taken down. The more people reporting it the more likely the account will be removed. I’ll post a video in the comment that explains how to do this and it only takes a moment. Instagram is one of the ways that I market my massage practice and I’m trying to protect that, and your help means more than you know. Thank you! ❤️

You do need to be following my IG to report and that is

Here’s a link to MY profile:

https://instagram.com/nurturemassage_satx?igshid=MWxxemxvMnprdWQwdg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

——————

And here is the fake IG handle:

Here’s the fake IG profile link:

https://instagram.com/richardcobytel?igshid=MWN0Nmd1dGN0aG1leQ==

As I mentioned last night, it’s Month of Giving!
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Not only do like to use this month as a way to give back to our community (and invite you to do the same) I also use it as a fun opportunity to give back to you, my clients! You can see my previous post about what we can do to help our community, but SWIPE through to see what I’m doing for YOU!

This will run Nov 1 - 30th.

🍂Free Add On - Choose 1 add on to include in 1 session booked in my office during the month of November. You can choose from aromatherapy, hot stones, cupping or muscle scraping. Please note this does not include the Fall Foot Scrub.

I also want to take into consideration how booked I currently am 😬. This is why I’m bringing back the:

🍂 Give to Get - When you donate to our annual collection drive on behalf of , you will receive one Free Add on that you can use for one session from now until January 31, 2024.

Questions? Feel free to send me a message! Happy Month of Giving!!

It’s November which means it’s officially Month of Giving!
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For those of you new to my massage practice, every November is when I try to give back not only to my clients but also to our San Antonio Community. I’m even more excited because I have the help of the rest of the  too!

All of November we are asking for your help to support  , a local annual collection drive that helps our fellow San Antonians in need. This non-profit specifically benefits Haven for Hope, the Battered Women's & Children Shelter and the San Antonio Food Bank.

All the members of the will be accepting donations from Nov. 1 – Nov. 30. You can leave your donations when you visit for your appointments or simply leave it in the donation box in our lobby. And if you can't make it in during November, Gotcha Covered's Annual Collection Drive is happening Sunday December 3rd from 9a - 3p at the Park North Shopping Center. 

We're excited to help our San Antonio Community in this way and hope you can too. Don't forget to share this post with your friends and family too! 

         

We hope you all have a very safe and 🎃Happy Halloween👻! Stay warm out there!

- Love me and this little nugget!

Sometimes, this is what pregnancy after loss can look like.
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As I’ve hit the halfway mark of my current pregnancy, and along with October being pregnancy and infant loss awareness month, I’ve been reflecting on how my past experience has shaped what this new journey has looked like. I want to share this, so that those who are going through it, know that you aren’t alone and the thoughts and feelings you may be having are ones that I’ve had as well. Additionally, if you haven’t had this experience, maybe you learn about what that might look like for someone.

To sum it up, I’ve had a lot more anxiety surrounding this pregnancy than I’ve anticipated. When I found out I was pregnant again, I took a pregnancy test almost everyday just to be sure those HCG levels were rising and to confirm that I was still pregnant. It gave me comfort after each one to know that this was still happening. But along with that comfort still came a lot of doubt and fear, because of the what if. There were moments that I was really angry that I couldn’t just be happy and excited, my prior loss took that away from me. At 5 and 6 weeks I decided to get an ultrasound at a free standing clinic, just to be sure something was there, and at 11 weeks I had a dating ultrasound done with the OB I had seen. Each time I wasn’t sure what I would see, and each time I cried and breathed a sigh of relief. When I would mention that, some people would think I was joking and say, of course there’s something there…but I wasn’t joking because I had an ultrasound once where there wasn’t anything there.

As my 1st trimester went on, though I was miserable with the nausea, I was also thankful for it because it gave me hope that things were still progressing, and as I entered my 2nd trimester that nausea stopped and my fears heightened. I would feel some movement in my belly and google what fetal movement felt like, how often it’s supposed to happen during this week of pregnancy and worry when I felt nothing. The nights before the midwifery appointments I’ve had, made me worried they wouldn’t hear a heartbeat, but they did and I’d breathe another sigh of relief.

Now at 20 weeks, I’m only just starting to think about the future with this baby. What items I need, what my maternity leave will look like, etc. I’ve only just recently tried to connect with this pregnancy and baby, because I was too scared to do so before. I’m disappointed that I have fears that stop me from feeling complete joy, but I know this also is showing me gratitude in a different way.

Pregnancy after loss comes with a lot of complex emotions. And I’m doing my best to work through them. If you find yourself struggling, know your not alone and if you want extra support I encourage you to seek out additional resources such as a licensed perinatal mental health counselor and know that I’m happy to provide some amazing local referrals. 🤍

A couple of appointments popped up for this week! Click the link below and book them soon!

Tuesday 10/3 at 3p
Wednesday 10/4 at 1:30p

https://www.nurturemassagesatx.com/booking

A couple of appointments popped up for TOMORROW Thursday 9/14. Click the link below and book them soon!

Thursday 9/14 at 12p
Thursday 9/14 at 3p

https://www.nurturemassagesatx.com/booking

It looks like I had a few cancellations pop up this week, which means I have some availability for you! Mama, if you've been in some need of some self care please feel free to hop on my schedule and book. As of right now I have tomorrow Thursday 9/7 at 3:30p - 5p open AND Friday 9/8 at 11a - 1p open. Can't wait to see you on my table soon! Click the link to book:

https://www.nurturemassagesatx.com/booking

**UPDATE**
Friday 9/8 at 11a has been booked! But we can still do a 30 min at 12:30p if you need some time on a specific focus area

After realizing that I was pregnant again, I was so excited, but that quickly turned to fear and worry. Once you’ve experienced loss it messes with your mind, and when you’re put in that situation again that fear can be overwhelming. One thing that was helpful for me was utilizing affirmations to help set my mind at ease.

Before you scroll on and dismiss the use of affirmations, I just want you to know that there was actually a study done in 2018 that spoke to the benefits of using these. They are so helpful in breaking negative thought patterns and help shift our perspectives into life giving thoughts. How cool is that?

Here are a few that really stuck with me, and if you are experiencing the same thing, maybe this can help provide a little bit of relief.

I would repeat them to myself, incorporate it into my breath work, I placed a few stickies with my favorites written on them in places I would see. If you’ve been to my office you may have even seen one written on the giant letter board on my wall.

With all of that said if you do find that you are struggling with pregnancy loss or pregnancy after loss, I would also encourage you to seek out additional resources such as a licensed perinatal mental health counselor. And if you aren’t sure where to look feel free to send me a message and I can provide some amazing local referrals.

Pregnancy loss is hard, and it can be surprisingly hard when you find yourself pregnant again. And remember, it’s ok to not be ok, when society says you should be excited. Feel all your feelings because it is all valid. ❤️

So I have some news to share…
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If you missed my email yesterday, I announced that I am officially 12 weeks with this little nugget and my family and I couldn’t be more excited.

Big life changes are happening for this mama and I can’t wait to go on this journey once again and share some things with you along the way.

“A community that learns together excels together”- Robert Reed

We had a really great Friday meet up with these amazing women. What a special community of caregivers to share space with.

The always amazing and organized our meeting to share things they learned in the workshop they recently attended.

These ladies are the real deal y’all. Their gift of touch is incredible, and they are broadening their services for this body work for pregnant persons!

We each shared knowledge and techniques with the group and it was wonderful to connect and recharge together.

I look forward to our next collaboration.

💜
🤍
💜
🤍
💜 .jandra

This is a Forget Me Not Seed Necklace. I purchased this for myself as a way to honor and commemorate the pregnancy that I lost at the end of March.
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A few weeks ago I shared that I went through this experience on my IG stories and I was blown away by all of your support and I was moved by the many stories people shared with me about their own loss.

Though I know I don’t have to share my experience, I want to. Part of this is for selfish reasons because it is helping me to process through it, but the other part is because of the community that I serve. Being in this birthing community has taught me so much about support, motherhood, community and vulnerability.

If you are going through this I want you to know all of your thoughts, feelings, fears and anxieties are seen and validated. If you have a loved one who has experienced this, I want you to get a glimpse of what they may be feeling and thinking. Though every persons experience with this will be different, I hope you find some comfort in knowing you aren’t alone.

I broke my story of early pregnancy loss into four parts, all of which you can now read about on my blog. If you would like to learn about my experience, click the link:

https://www.nurturemassagesatx.com/blog/pregnancy-loss-part1

Mamas, I’m so excited to invite you to another incredibly bonding and fun massage class with your child on Sunday 5/7 at 1p.
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In this class you’ll learn the foundations of how to massage your child safely, effectively, and more importantly how to make it fun. Here is some of what we’ll cover:

✨Movement
✨Breathwork
✨Massage Techniques
✨How to use massage for common discomforts your kid may experience

Massage or touch therapy can be so crucial to a child’s development and is a super special way to bond and strengthen the relationship you already have with your own little one.

I have room for 4 families (1 caretaker and 1 child per spot) so space is limited. This class is best for kiddo’s age 3-8, and is $35. Sign up using the link here:

https://nurturemassagesatx.as.me/workshops

I can’t wait to see you and your little ones. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them down below👇🏽

Mama’s, I am so excited to invite you out to this motherhood celebration on Friday May 12th at 10a!
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We want to celebrate the mothers of our community with a complimentary meetup at the .

10am Light Refreshments
11am Meditation and Body Work

Although we commonly welcome the whole family, this is an event for mothers. For the purpose of everyone being able to indulge and relax, we ask that only immobile babies be in attendance during the meditation and body work portion.

Be sure to RSVP by clicking the link in my bio!

           

Mama’s this month I want you to take a moment with me to hold space for yourselves. I want you to honor your journey whatever that looks like and set your intention towards healing.
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I’m finding different ways to honor my own recent journey and I wanted to offer up an option for you as well. This month’s Yomassage class will be dedicated to just that. In our meditation, our breath, our movement and through therapeutic touch we’ll be focusing on self healing.

If Yomassage is new to you this is a group massage class in which I walk you through a meditation with breath work to help calm your nervous system, you’ll be guided into restorative stretch positions while being supported with various props and I’ll provide gentle nurturing massage to different parts of the body. It’s an opportunity to honor your body and mind and anything that you’ve been through.

At the end of class I’ll invite you to join me in building your community with some warm tea and beautiful conversations with the other mama’s in the class.

I have a class coming up tomorrow Thursday 4/13 at 6p with 2 spots open and another class Thursday 4/27 at 6p with 2 spots.

Click the link in my bio to book. And if you can’t make it with me this month I hope you find a time to honor your journey in your own way. I’m sending you so much love and so much gratitude.
                         

🌿New Service Alert! 🌿
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Breathe a little easier this Spring with our new Relieving Face Massage! As someone who also experiences seasonal allergies, I know just how annoying they can be, which is why I wanted to create something to help you feel better. Not only does this face massage add on leave you breathing easier, but it is one of the most relaxing add on services I’ve offered yet!

We’ll start with a gentle warm up of the face and then work more targeted areas to help loosen and clear out congestion. I’ll follow that up by wrapping your face in a warm towel and take you through some gentle breath work with doTERRA’s Breathe Essential Oil to help clear the airways for easier breathing. I’ll follow that up with gentle lymphatic drainage techniques and facial massage with cool stones to help ease inflammation. We’ll end with targeted relaxing work to the neck and scalp which not only feels ahhhhmazing, but works wonders if you’ve been experiencing headaches.

If this sounds like something you need in your life then comment 💚 down below. You can add this service to any massage at my office for only $12 starting Monday 3/13 to Sunday April 30th. Will you be adding this to your next massage? Let me know down below!

Tell me if you’ve ever heard this phrase before, “The baby is the candy and the mom is the wrapper”.
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What this phrase means is that if the baby is the candy and the mom is the wrapper, once the candy is out of the wrapper, all the focus is on the good stuff..the candy; and the wrapper gets tossed to the side.

I recently heard this phrase and it really struck a cord with me, of how true this can be sometimes. And though I’ve heard this more so to do with the medical community, it also plays a role with friends and family and even sometimes ourselves. Everyone is really excited about the baby and mom’s care goes by the wayside. But it shouldn’t.

I’ve had a lot of clients transition to postpartum recently and I wanted to remind you and any other postpartum moms just how important you are. You matter, your health matters, your emotional and physical wellbeing matters and it is ok to ask for help and let someone know.

And for those of us supporting a postpartum mom, the next time you visit, check in on her first. See what she needs first. The baby is already being taken care of, but that mom may not be.

And mama’s one last thing, if no one has told you already…you are no candy wrapper. You are the freaking candy store.