dana | 
07 25th, 2008| 
I had already completed Reiki I and II when I became pregnant in 2006. Once I found out I was pregnant, I felt very strongly that it was the right time for me to undergo Reiki III/ART (Master) training. One reason for this was simply that I knew once the baby was born, I’d have little time to pursue further training for at least a year or so. The other reason was that I wanted to be physically, emotionally and spiritually centered in order to support my pregnancy, my impending role as a mother and my developing baby.
Reiki definitely helped me with some of the physical discomforts of pregnancy. I was one of the fortunate ones who got to feel my baby kicking early on, somewhere around Week 15 or 16. However, because of that I also experienced regular and often intense Braxton-Hicks contractions. One night in particular, I recall having a lot of Braxton-Hicks and both the baby and I were very agitated. It occurred to me finally to lay my hands on my solar plexus and sacral chakras and channel Reiki. Soon enough, the Braxton-Hicks stopped, the baby settled down and I was able to fall into a relaxing sleep.
Reiki can help women who experience morning sickness as well. The hormones associated with pregnancy - human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and estrogen — contributes to gastric distress. Reiki facilitates deep relaxation and can help reduce the sensation of nausea.
Pregnancy is exciting and stressful for expectant mothers but our culture generally does not often do a good job of supporting women during this time. Many women are juggling demands associated with careers, expectations from their families, changes in their relationships with their partners and of course, in their bodies. These factors can exacerbate existing fatigue, discomfort and mood swings. Reiki can help expectant mothers to reduce stress and remain more grounded emotionally. A Reiki treatment is, first and foremost, time to honor yourself and your body during a time when you may no longer feel like it belongs to you. Reiki sessions can be so deeply relaxing that clients can often drift off into asleep - and as any pregnant woman knows, sleep is a valuable commodity! Reiki, along with other supportive practices such as chiropractic, prenatal massage and prenatal yoga, can have great benefits for you and your developing baby.
Reiki was also instrumental in my post-partum recovery. I had a post-partum hemmorhage and the recovery from that and my unscheduled C-section took several months before I regained my strength completely. I could not have forseen any of these complications, but I was fortunate to receive deeply healing treatments from both my teacher, Brad Dixon, and my close friend, Tracey Gagné. They helped me get strong and centered so that I could fully embrace motherhood and my beautiful little girl.
One of the things I valued so much about being a Reiki practitioner during my pregnancy was the depth of connection I felt with my baby during that time. Consequently, I think that early connection also helped me become more attuned to her needs. My daughter received Reiki in utero often enough that even now, there have been times where she seems to naturally draw the energy when she’s in my arms without me even having to actively channel it. Maybe on some level, I intuit that she needs it and Reiki just flows to her. Just the other night, she was having trouble settling down into sleep, which is unusual for her. I sat with her in the glider and did some Reiki to ground her, because an overabundance of energy can cause restlessness. She soon began to relax in my arms and was able to sleep for the rest of the night.
Reiki honors the women we are: our bodies, our emotions and the spirit within that gives us strength and purpose. Please contact me if you are expecting a baby and would like to find out more how Reiki can help support you in a healthy, happy and centered pregnancy. I also recommend reading Reiki and the Birth Experience, which is a good article describing how Reiki has been used in a clinical setting in Canada during pregnancy and to facilitate healing during post-partum.
