The Genesis Resort for Birth

04/28/2026

What is prenatal and postpartum massage therapy, and how does it support mothers during and after pregnancy?

Our licensed massage therapist, Kristen Self, provides nurturing, supportive care through every stage of motherhood.

Prenatal massage helps ease the unique physical and emotional changes of pregnancy—reducing stress, improving sleep, supporting circulation, and relieving common discomforts like lower back pain, hip tension, or swelling in the legs and feet. Sessions are performed in a comfortable side-lying position to safely support your belly and back, using gentle techniques that promote deep relaxation and connection with your baby.

Postpartum massage focuses on helping the body return to balance after birth. It relieves muscle tension from labor, feeding, and holding your baby; eases soreness; reduces swelling; and supports hormonal balance and emotional wellbeing. Kristen is trained to work sensitively with cesarean recovery, diastasis recti, and overall musculoskeletal strain. If you prefer, you can bring your baby and nurse during a side-lying session—continuing that precious bonding experience.

Each massage is customized to your needs, using either therapeutic or Swedish techniques to provide physical relief and emotional renewal. You give so much to your baby; let us help refill your cup.

Kristen's Tips:
Seek regular rest, physical support, and emotional support.
Prenatal and postpartum massage can play a meaningful role in supporting both physical and emotional well-being during and after pregnancy.

Massages help regulate the body’s stress response by lowering cortisol levels (a key stress hormone), which can leave you feeling calmer and more balanced. Many people also report improved sleep quality.

On the emotional side, massage can reduce feelings of anxiety by promoting the release of “feel-good” hormones like serotonin and dopamine. Physically, it’s especially effective for relieving muscle tension—common areas include the lower back, hips, shoulders, and legs, which often carry extra strain during pregnancy and postpartum recovery.

Postpartum massage can also support recovery by improving circulation, which may help reduce swelling and promote healing, while offering a chance for much-needed relaxation during a demanding time.

Client Testimony:
"One of my favorite services I have received was the prenatal massages! Kristen is so competent and professional and is one of the best massage therapists that I have ever had. I’d come in with my body so tightly wound and tense and leave relaxed and released which was exactly what I needed especially to prepare for birthing my baby. I’d 10/10 recommend her "
- Andrea S.

Bath Soak: Relaxing Mama Lavender Epsom Bath Soak - This simple yet soothing blend of epsom salt, 100% pure essential oil and lavender buds will set the tone for some much deserved relaxation while relieving tension and soothing sore muscles.

Bath Tea: Lavender, Rose, or Chamomile - Throw in the tub and let steep for a mess-free oatmeal bath. This bath soak combines organic oatmeal and your choice of dried herbs!

Rice Bags: Use these either hot or cold, on your neck, shoulders or around your belly to aid in relaxation.

Gentle Birth Tincture: Perceived benefits include an easier, shorter, and more comfortable labor and delivery, plus a shorter recovery time. Strengthens & tones the uterus in preparation for labor, speeds healing & recovery. Provides support for a smooth, less painful delivery and may reduce the need to induce labor. Recommended by midwives and doulas and perfect for making a labor prep tea in the third trimester.

Evening Primrose: Natural support for joint comfort, healthy skin, cardiovascular function and women's health

N.O.R.A. Tea: A traditional pregnancy tea lauded by midwives, herbalists and moms; the N.O.R.A. blend is deeply nourishing, steadying, and readying. Formulated with mineral-rich herbs to fortify and prepare, this classic herbal tea blend supports mothers as they await the gift of new life.

Click here for an update from The Genesis Resort for Birth!

04/14/2026

Water has a way of changing the entire tone of labor! 😌💧🛀

Instead of bracing against each wave, many women find themselves softening into it — breathing deeper, moving more freely, and feeling more connected to what their body is doing. There’s something about being surrounded by warmth that quiets the outside noise and helps you drop inward, where labor actually works best.

When the body feels supported, it often responds in kind. Tension melts, movement becomes more intuitive, and the experience can shift from something to endure… into something you’re actively working with. That sense of ease doesn’t just impact comfort — it can influence the *overall flow* of labor in a meaningful way.

The environment matters, too. Feeling safe, undisturbed, and held can make a huge difference in how labor unfolds. For many, the tub becomes a space where they can fully let go — not perform, not overthink, just be.

And for those who choose to birth in the water, it can offer a gentle, unhurried entry for baby — a continuation of the only environment they’ve ever known.

Water isn’t a magic fix, and it’s not for everyone — but for many families, it becomes one of the most grounding, supportive tools in the birth space.

If you had a water birth or you labored through intense parts of labor in water, what was your experience? Would you do it again?

(And that’s our beautiful birth tub featured in the pictures of the post in our main birth suite here at the 🌿Genesis Resort for Birth in Roanoke, VA! 🤗)