My therapist Eva is from Indonesia and I love her traditional massage technique. She could always pinpoint my problem areas and knead into all the painful (but super shiok) points and paths. She also shares advice on postnatal care and general health. I always look forward to massage sessions with her.
I really love massages in general and I learn from my gal pals and fellow mummies just how important it is to do post natal massage after giving birth.
After the massive changes that the body goes through during pregnancy, it needs proper treatment to go back to its original state as much as possible. Postnatal massage is not just about slimming the tummy and getting the body back in shape, it also helps in the issue of engorgement, misalignment of pelvis and swelling in certain body parts after childbirth. (See the summary table a few scrolls down.)
Prevalent in Singapore is the Malay Jamu and the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) style.
A few days after I delivered, I did TCM post natal therapy which does not include Jamu binding. While it did have benefits, my tummy still had lots of capacity to be slimmed and firmed. And to be honest, I simply love more massage sessions just to knead away my aches, pains and strains.
After delivery, I still look 5 months pregnant (as attested by my family, friends who saw me and even 2 sales assistants). After hearing so many people swear by the slimming and firming effects of Jamu binding, I was excited to try the traditional Malay style and went with Postnatal Massage Singapore after reading good reviews. I have never regretted my decision!
Firstly, here are the benefits of postnatal massage therapy:
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Other than all the usual benefits stated above, I want to highlight 3 unique improvements I have experienced:
During pregnancy, I suffered from Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP). It should have gone off after delivery but instead, they developed into severe hives 2 weeks later.
I was initially worried that the lemon grass oil would aggravate the hives. However the massage sessions seem to have helped the recovery process!
Rubbing the skin eases the unbearable itch on the skin surface and probably due to blood circulation from Eva’s deep kneading, bruises formed around some patches of hives. Those bruised patches itched lesser, dried up and cleared up faster! I never would have thought that massage could cure unbearable itchy hives when no medication could!
2. Lessened My Tailbone and Pubic Bone/ Muscle Pain
There’s a technique whereby Eva would push the perineal area upwards. I never knew there is such a step in postnatal massage and she mentioned that she learnt it back in Indonesia.
My tailbone and pubic bone/muscle pain which plagued me during 3rd trimester and continued on weeks after delivery lessened many folds just after the first massage session! I believe it is due to this particular step. Before that, I couldn’t even lift my legs at a height to wear my bottoms without pain and had to sit down to wear with minimal pain. Now I could climb up chairs to reach for the top cabinets!
3. Good Technique in Relieving Breast Engorgement
I am an oversupply mummy and even up till now, I still suffer from engorgement and mild mastitis which includes the usual feverish feeling, chills, sharp pulsing pain in my boobs etc. Eva always manages to massage the rock hard lumps away.
There was once my engorgement was so bad on the left that the hard lump could not be gotten rid of with frequent pumping, hand expressing and few sessions of Baby Ashleigh's direct latching.
That session, I told Eva that I knew it was really very different from all the other days. She spent more time on my left upper back where the "wing" portion is. She started kneading in a fan-like pathway there. I could feel how the "paths" were very bumpy with a very shiok muscle pain feeling that I thoroughly enjoyed. She kneaded till the bumpiness was gone from each pathway and it felt really good.
She did the same to my right though I did not feel any bumpiness. I reckoned that it was because my right side wasn't blocked. Eva explained that everything is all connected and by working on the back first, it would be a lot easier to unblock the clog when it comes to the front. I would not have to endure so much pain on my left boob with hard pressing and kneading then. I was really amazed by this newfound knowledge. True enough by the time, she reached my left boob, it was a huge relief and release of milk!
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We get to keep the binder provided by the company. It is in a shade of red that is so pretty that it makes traditional Jamu binding really hip and fashionable. Being a bimbo, the red binder was one of the reasons why I chose Post Natal Massage Singapore. LoL!
Before
Look at how saggy my tummy was before at the start of the package. I was a low-carrying mummy so my tummy really SAGS a lot! From the way it sags at the bottom, I also suspect that I have split abs (diastasis recti) horizontally but I can't confirm this. You can't really see from the front but I look 5 months pregnant from the side. I wasn't able to button or even zip up in my pre-pregnancy shorts.
I hope the video is showing. If not, head over to view them on my Instagram Stories.
After
This was taken at the end of the last session. My tummy isn't perfect or 100% like my pre-pregnancy days. There are still flabs and loose skin but I am now able to zip up and button the very same shorts! I swear this isn't a before and after shot by letting all out and then sucking in my tummy. I mean if I sucked in, I would have sucked in till flat right? LoL :P And yup, we have moved Ash Ash's cot into our room and this room has once again become our laundry room.
My tummy might have slimmed down over time on top of the massages but the jamu binding really helps a lot in firming my tummy! As I mentioned, I suffered from rash and hives so my itchy skin is sensitive to Jamu. For most of the binding, we used ginger cream or simply nothing whenever my itch flares up. I think the results would have been a lot better had my skin be able to take all the sessions of Jamu binding.
I hope the video is showing. If not, head over to view them on my Instagram Stories.
Now and Then Side by Side Comparison
I've put the before and after side by side so it is easier to compare. And yes, the brown spots and patches on my tummy are scars from my PUPPP. I did not have stretchmarks till those little buggers appeared on my tummy in a web-like fashion. Eva did prepare me that they might not be able to fade off. T_T
As mentioned, the after result isn't like what you see in slimming ads. Nevertheless, I know that if I did not proceed to do the traditional Malay Jamu massage, my tummy would be in an even worse state.
Say goodbye to this tummy for good! How I miss those days when I had visible abs (before eating for the day... hahaha) but I don't mind no abs as long as I have my precious Ash Ash.
Packages
Prenatal Massage Packages: 3 sessions - $270 5 sessions - $400
Post Natal Massage Packages: 7 sessions - $668 10 sessions - $888
How to book
Step 1 : Visit Post Natal Massage Singapore website: www.pnsingapore.com, Click on “Book Now”.
Step 2 : Select your desire package plan, fill up your personal details.
Step 3 : Make payment via credit or debit card.
I'm gonna miss Eva and her massage sessions. She is so cute. She just cannot smile in photos and I had to ask her to look like how she usually look when she is talking happily and we had such a nice shot!
Thank you Post Natal Massage Singapore and Eva for accompanying me through my post partum journey and making it an enjoyable one!
For more information, you can visit Postnatal Massage Singapore's website! I hope that my sharing is beneficial to you. Hope you would be able to reap all the benefits of postnatal massage and regain your pre-pregnancy figure in no time!
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