It wasn’t until becoming pregnant with her daughter Frankie that musculoskeletal therapist Kimberley Hocart discovered the importance of prenatal massage. Caitlyn Morgan chats to the Simply Remedial owner about her growing passion.
Pictures: Carmel Zaccone
GROWING a new life is no easy task, ask any mother and they will tell you exactly that.
While “amazing” and “beautiful” there is often pain and discomfort associated with the ever growing stomachs of those who are pregnant.
This is where Kimberley Hocart’s skills come in.
The mother of one knows all too well the benefits and importance of prenatal massage.
“Pregnancy is quite a special time and it’s nice to see the massage enhance the bond between mum and baby and getting the occasional kick can be pretty special,” Kimberley says.
“It’s something that is definitely becoming more popular, particularly with first time mums in their 30s.
“There are just so many benefits to mother and baby, including; improved sleep, reduction in anxiety, increased relaxation, reduction in swelling, improved body awareness, eases musculoskeletal pain and discomfort, stabilises hormonal changes and blood pressure, enhances mother-baby connection, all while giving mum some time out.
“Common ailments that a remedial pregnancy massage will help with are sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, pelvic gridle pain, oedema as well as general body aches and pains associated with pregnancy.”
Kimberley admits when she began her career as a therapist in 2005, she was never initially interested in providing prenatal massage.
“I grew up wanting to be a physiotherapist but the required entry score was so high and that was when a friend introduced me to remedial massage,” she says.
“I hadn’t had a remedial massage before I was training but as a teenager I had a lot of physiotherapy, once having a massage I had all my questions about it answered.
“It was a simple way to reduce pain.
“At the start of my career, I wasn’t overly interested in prenatal massage but now having had a child I understand the importance of an experienced and knowledgeable practitioner.
“During my pregnancy with Frankie, I had them done and just found I could move with more ease, had reduced swelling and found it the most beneficial in trimester two and three.
“Now I love it, it’s such a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
While there is no rule on how often is too often, Kimberley says her clients will generally visit once a month.
“You can have them as often or as infrequent as you want with your body changing every day,” she says.
“For those who have come in and had them near the end of the pregnancy, they all wished they had done it earlier.
“It’s safe all the way through, with only certain circumstances such as high risk pregnancies requiring a doctors certificate.
“We try to book the final session in as close to the due date as possible with the aim of keeping the mum relaxed in order to progress well.”
While each session is tailored to the needs of each individual client, Kimberely says there are certain aspects each mother-to-be can expect.
“They can expect a full body massage, relaxing environment and a little bit of remedial work with remedial techniques applied for problem areas,” she says.
Simply Remedial is located at The Functional Joint on Benetook Avenue, Mildura.
