Breastfeeding is a crucial and magical time in motherhood, and a woman needs to be understood and supported in the full complexity of it.
In this beautiful yet demanding period, a new mother's body is put to a further test. There are many aspects worth examining, none of them negligible, but here I would like to focus solely on the great strain placed on the neck and chest area, which nonetheless affects the whole body.
The enzymes present in the baby's saliva, in contact with the mother's nipple, activate the hormonal cascade and the milk let-down. This triggers a deep postural reorganization that should ideally be supported and maintained. The presence of retractions (myofascial areas held constantly tense) blocks this very reorganization and gets in the way of the correct, effective production of precious breast milk.
Often, working locally, especially in the early days, and even gently, can feel jarring for a woman's body that is already under enough stress.
This is where reflexology can act very effectively, in both its foot and ear techniques. The first goes deeper but is not immediate, while the second takes effect very quickly. Specific foot reflex stimulation reminds the body how lymph should circulate and how the muscle and connective tissue bundles of the neck, chest, and torso area should be positioned. All of this is reinforced by stimulation of the outer ear, which facilitates the activating hormonal cascade and sensitizes the «receptors» (target cells). Stimulation can be done on the mother alone, or during breastfeeding with the baby attached to the breast, to further enhance its effect.
After the initial period, in order to keep the mother in excellent postural health and the nutritional quality of the milk high, stimulation of Chapman's neurolymphatic reflex points on the neck and infrascapular area can be added.
I have mentioned the preventive case, in which reflex therapy proves most effective, but combined with conventional care it is also extremely effective in acute cases of mastitis and cracked nipples. Where conventional care cannot be applied due to more serious clinical issues, it still remains a valid alternative.