Imagine Being Weightless While You Are Heavy with Child

Aquatic therapy of any type feels delicious while one is in the maternity way. Physically there are numerous reasons why this is so, but what the mom is most aware of, is how comfortable and free of stress her body feels, sometimes for the first time since the pregnancy began.

Swimming or gentle aquatic exercises are available at many community centers. Those especially dedicated to the pregnant mom, of course, will be the most ideal. Even if just walking and stretching in a pool with your family is the most that you can manage, your body and your baby will greatly appreciate it.

Another type of aquatic therapy, Watsu, is now available in St. Louis. Watsu is a warm-water shiatsu massage that one simply receives while resting in the arms of a practitioner. Supported by the buoyancy of the water, the feeling of weightlessness is heavenly. The practitioner gently stretches, folds, rocks, massages and cradles the client in 95-degree water, relieving pressure on the spine and throughout the entire body.

Hydrostatic pressure is another feature that helps in altering the body and assisting in easy circulation and movement. If the mom is tired and has experienced difficulty in sleeping, the warm water and flowing movements are intoxicating. Being relaxed and sleeping after a Watsu session are assured.

Watsu began on the West Coast in 1981, and finally arrived in St. Louis in 1997. Kathleen Christ has given more than 10,000 Watsus in the past 16 years, and has been privileged to see and experience its shifts in people's bodies, minds and hearts.

Pregnant moms are a very special category, and report their babies becoming quieter and more peaceful, too.