Specials – Pregnant women and new mothers

Being pregnant, becoming a mother, or becoming a mother again is always a major change in a woman’s life. Even though not all women are alike, many of them need emotional support and active listening. You can provide a supportive environment in addition to the support offered by medical professionals. The esthetician can be a compassionate listener, allowing the client to share her feelings in a relaxed setting.

When they enter your salon, they are seeking a moment of calm, serenity, and active listening. Many changes can be disturbing and surprising for pregnant women, especially when it is their first baby. We need emotional support, confidence, and reassurance about the ongoing and upcoming changes in our bodies or moods.

Julie Vallier adds, “The psychological dimension is undeniable and is part of the specific needs of this type of clientele. As estheticians, we must take this need into account in our treatments. Active listening is an important part of our profession.”

In addition to the emotional aspect, rapid and significant physical changes during and after pregnancy are important characteristics of this female clientele.

Weight gain, back pain, heavy legs, new and sometimes unpleasant sensations, pelvic pain, stretch marks… Apart from the growing tummy, women are not all equal when it comes to the physical changes induced by pregnancy, and each woman experiences pregnancy differently. Yet, everything they experience is normal!

This means that each pregnant woman or new mother deserves to be considered as a unique case requiring a 100% personalised physical response.

As an esthetician, you can accompany these changes, make them more comfortable, better accepted, better understood, reassure your client, and anticipate certain discomforts to facilitate their life during this unique period.

With maternity leave, when they reach the end of their second trimestre or during the third trimestre of pregnancy, future mothers can more easily find time to take care of themselves and relax by coming to your salon.

However, this may not be the case or may no longer be their priority in the first few weeks or months after the arrival of their baby. Yet, this is also the time when they need it the most: hormonal changes, lack of sleep, accumulated fatigue, sudden physiological and physical changes…

Therefore, it is important that you raise awareness among your clients in advance by advising them not to neglect themselves once their baby arrives and to make time for self-care because it will be essential for their well-being and ultimately for their baby.

“To reclaim their bodies, nothing is better than starting with relaxation and wellness treatments. Focusing on topics of fitness, figure, or weight loss too early after childbirth is neither meaningful nor beneficial,” emphasises Julie Vallier.

In addition to their specific needs, pregnant women and new mums require tailored care due to medical and health constraints. Essential oils should be completely avoided in all treatments, for example as the molecules can enter the bloodstream or breast milk. The abdominal area, even in early pregnancy or after childbirth, should be avoided either because it is not advisable to take risks or because there is genuine discomfort in approaching this area. Gather information, educate yourself; it will be the best thing to do to offer appropriate treatments and services.

We hope we have shed light on the specific needs of pregnant women and new mums. Although it is always emotionally intense and requires adjustment, it is always a pleasure to support them through this stage of their lives and provide them with appropriate care for each key moment of pregnancy.