Christin Mandalentsis, RMT

Christin is a Registered Massage Therapist who specializes in maternity massage; including pre/perinatal, postpartum, as well as infant massage.

About Christin

She is currently working towards her certification as a birth doula with DONA International. While in school she had the opportunity to work in the labour and delivery wing where she received firsthand experience of support and massage during labour. Although having no children herself, she is deeply drawn to helping women with their birthing experience. Through client stories of birth experiences Christin responds to the need for support and is passionate about giving women the encouragement and information they need. She strives to help women welcome their babies with a birth that is personalized and fulfilling.

Services:

Birth Doula Services include:                

• Prenatal visits 
• On-call for your birth                                              
• Postpartum visits   

 Massage:                               

• Pregnancy  massage
• Postpartum massage
• Newborn massage

Aches and Pains – A “Normal” Part of Pregnancy

It?s true that many women will come across commonly experienced aches and pains during the course of their pregnancies.  Many women are told that this is “normal” and that it?s nothing to worry about. These are the women who resort to using water bottles between their shoulder blades while they drive in order to get some relief, who beg their husbands to stick a heel in their buttocks to work out the painful knots and wake in the night with calf cramps.  The mistaken belief is that this is just something that comes with the territory of being pregnant which prevents women from seeking out help and forces them to just deal with it.  One thing that you should know is that yes it is common, but it can also be manageable or in some cases preventable.

During the nine months of pregnancy your body is constantly changing and your muscles have to try and accommodate these changes. One of our goals is to address these changes and to help your muscles better adapt. Massage can be very effective in helping with:
- pain in the low back, glutes, shoulders and neck
- relieving headaches
- decreasing occurrence of calf cramps
- decreasing abdominal tenderness and tension
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- fluid retention (swelling of hands, feet and legs)
- achieving a restful sleep
- decreased feelings of stress and anxiety

Massage can help on a physical as well as a mental and emotional levels; the focus being full body wellness. When a mother can manage aches, pains and stresses, not only will she benefit from it, but baby will receive benefits from it as well.