Postnatal Massage & Postpartum Recovery
Natural Waves Utrecht
Therapeutic postnatal massage in Utrecht, in English
Your body has just done something extraordinary.
And now everything continues, feeds, visitors, healing, adjusting, while your nervous system is still landing from what it has been through.
Postnatal care at Natural Waves offers something different. A quiet, therapeutic space where your body is met with warmth, skill, and time to recover, layer by layer.
Often partially reimbursed by health insurance
Postnatal recovery that unfolds in its own time
Birth changes everything. Your muscles, connective tissue, and nervous system have worked and adapted for months to carry and bring forth new life. In the weeks that follow, your body begins searching for its own ground again.
Postnatal bodywork at Natural Waves supports this natural process with gentle, therapeutic touch within an integrative approach. Each session helps to release held tension, calm the nervous system, and restore flow and energy to a body that has been asked to give so much.
Postpartum recovery is not linear. Every phase asks for something different:
First, landing and unwinding. Then, restoring and strengthening. Finally, rebuilding energy from the inside out.
That is why I work with carefully structured support rather than single isolated sessions. Each appointment builds on the last. This creates lasting change, not just a moment of relief.
What postnatal massage can offer you
After birth, your body needs time, rest, and care. Not only physically, but hormonally and emotionally too. In this period, it is common to feel out of sync, exhausted, empty, or overstimulated.
During a session, you get to receive instead of give. We slow down. We drop out of the head and into the body. I work with warm, attuned touch and techniques that help release tension, support circulation, and bring the nervous system toward rest.
This is not a wellness massage. It is a therapeutic space with a grounding quality, a place where nothing is expected of you except to be present.
You leave with more spaciousness, more ease in your body, and practical insight to support your recovery between sessions.
A series of sessions in the first months after birth is what I recommend for deeper recovery. Each session builds on the previous one. Where the first is mainly about feeling, landing, and mapping your body’s needs, the sessions that follow go deeper into restoration and rebuilding.
A support series can help with:
- Relief of tension in the lower back and pelvic area
- Support for physical recovery after pregnancy and birth
- Softening of scar tissue (including after caesarean section)
- Hormonal rebalancing
- Nervous system regulation and inner spaciousness
- Renewed energy, circulation, and flow
Beyond physical release, emotional space often opens as well, a moment where you carry nothing but yourself.
Why postnatal massage?
The period after birth places enormous demand on the body. Many women in this phase experience:
- Tension in the back, shoulders, and neck
- Deep fatigue and low energy
- Sensitivity in the pelvis or lower back
- An overstimulated, alert nervous system
- A need for rest and quiet
Therapeutic support can help ease these experiences and assist the body in its natural recovery after pregnancy and birth.
“Like trees releasing in autumn, your body needs gentle support to find its own ground again.”
Start your recovery todayThe integrative aproach at Natural Waves
Sessions draw from several therapeutic modalities, always tailored to your body and your stage of recovery:
- Ayurvedic massage principles
- Foot reflexology techniques
- Moxa therapy (warming treatment)
- Gentle acupressure and energetic bodywork
- Nutritional and lifestyle guidance
Everything is combined thoughtfully, depending on what your system needs in that moment. Want to know more about these modalities? Read about the different approaches in my integrative toolkit.
When can you start?
You can begin as soon as your body is ready and your midwife or doctor gives the go-ahead. For most women, that is shortly after the initial recovery period, from around 6 days after a vaginal birth, or 8 weeks after a caesarean section. At any point in the first year after birth, the body remains open to this kind of support.
Together we will find the right moment and pace for you. For information about costs and reimbursement, visit the fees page.
Who is this for?
This support is for women who:
- Want to recover on a deeper level after birth
- Need rest, regulation, and gentle care
- Don’t want to push or force their body, but let it heal
- Sense that postpartum is about more than physical recovery
A moment that belongs to you
You don’t have to do anything. Only breathe, be present, and receive.
That is where recovery begins.
In English, for international women in Utrecht
Natural Waves offers all sessions in English, and is experienced working with expats and international women navigating pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period far from their home country.
You don’t have to translate your experience. You can speak freely.
About Natural Waves 🌸 ☀️ 🍂 ❄️
Natural Waves is a practice specialising in integrative women’s health across life phases, including pregnancy, birth, and postnatal recovery. As a complementary therapist with over 10 years of experience, I support women through reproductive transitions with care that works on multiple levels.
The four seasons of women’s health
At Natural Waves, women’s health is understood as a natural cycle, each phase asking for its own quality of attention and care:
🌱 Spring – Fertility Preparation and vitality. Supporting the body and energy as you move toward conception, with 1:1 care and the A Soft Start Preconception Journey.
☀️ Summer – Pregnancy & Birth Growth, embodiment, and physical and emotional birth preparation. Including the postpartum period that follows – integrating the birth experience, restoring hormonal balance, and gradually rebuilding energy.
🍂 Autumn – Cycle & Menstruation After birth, the body needs time to find its rhythm again. Hormones shift profoundly – progesterone and oestrogen drop, prolactin rises. The return of the menstrual cycle is different for every woman. Moving with curiosity and gentleness, rather than expectation, helps.
❄️ Winter – Perimenopause & Menopause: A new threshold. Rest, self-care, and hormonal steadiness at the centre.
Each phase at Natural Waves receives the support that fits your unique body, energy, and moment in life.
Postnatal recovery, at your own pace, with gentle support
Postnatal massage offers a safe, effective way to release tension and rebuild your energy step by step, in your own time.
Natural Waves | Merwedekade 174B, Utrecht Rivierenwijk
FAQ about postnatal massage
Do you offer postnatal massage in English?
Yes. All sessions at Natural Waves can be held in English. I work regularly with expats and international women in Utrecht. You don’t need to translate your experience or search for the right words. Just come as you are.
When can I start postnatal massage after birth?
From around 6 days after a vaginal birth, and from 8 weeks after a caesarean, once your midwife or doctor gives the go-ahead. At any point in the first year, your body remains open to this kind of support. There is no “too late.”
Is this covered by Dutch health insurance?
Often partially, yes. As a BATC-registered complementary therapist, sessions are reimbursed by many Dutch supplementary insurance plans (aanvullende verzekering). The amount depends on your policy. Check your insurer or visit the fees page for more information.
How many sessions do I need?
That depends on your body and your stage of recovery. For deeper support in the first months after birth, I recommend a series of sessions, each one building on the last. We’ll look at what feels right for you in the first appointment.
What happens during a session?
We begin with a short conversation about how you’re feeling and what your body needs. From there, I work with warm, attuned touch — drawing on Ayurvedic massage principles, foot reflexology, moxa, acupressure, and gentle energetic bodywork. Everything is tailored to your phase of recovery. You don’t have to do anything except breathe and be present.
Can I come if I had a caesarean?
Yes. Sessions after a caesarean are adapted to your body and your scar. We can work gently with the scar tissue to support softening and recovery, this is something many women find deeply relieving. We wait until at least 8 weeks post-surgery, and always in consultation with your care provider.
I’m still breastfeeding. Is that okay?
Absolutely. Many clients come while breastfeeding. The session is adapted accordingly, positioning, pressure, and timing all take this into account. You’re welcome to feed during or between sessions if needed.
Do I need a referral from my midwife or GP?
No referral needed. You can book directly. If you’re unsure whether now is the right moment for your body, feel free to reach out and we can think it through together.
Where is the practice located?
Natural Waves is in Utrecht Rivierenwijk, at Merwedekade 174B. There is parking nearby and it’s accessible by bike and public transport.
I’m not sure this is for me. Can I ask you something first?
Of course. You can reach me via the contact page or call me on 06-40143722 — just a conversation.