Woman who tried to conceive for 5 years succeeds after a WOMB ... - Daily Mail

[massage]

• Rebecca Chisholm, 35, miscarried and had scarring on her fallopian tubes
• Conceived two children after having fertility massage to boost the womb
• Treatment includes massage, being wrapped in cloths and 'pulsing' Tai Chi
• She is now a mother of Elle, 23 months, and Pippa, three months

By Nilufer Atik For Mailonline

Published: 18:20 EST, 26 December 2015 | Updated: 20:07 EST, 26 December 2015


A woman who tried to conceive for five years and suffered a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy has revealed how a new-age treatment helped her to have the family she always wanted.

Rebecca Chisholm, 35, from Edinburgh, says she defied doctors to have two children - after having a revolutionary massage that involved applying deep pressure on the womb and a shamanic 'wrapping' technique.

Now a delighted mother to Elle, 23 months, and Pippa, three months old, Rebecca has become a fertility masseuse so she can help other women who find themselves unable to conceive.

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Pictured, Rebecca and Tom celebrate their daughter Elle's first birthday, while Rebecca is pregnant with Pippa

Pictured, Rebecca, who is now the mother of two girls, holds her miracle baby Elle, aged just five months


Rebecca was 28 when she first started trying for a baby in January, 2009, with her husband Tom, an after-school club manager, after they had been together for two years.

She was desperate to be a mother before she reached her 30s and fell pregnant a few months later but five weeks into the pregnancy she was rushed into hospital with agonising pains.

Doctors discovered she had an ectopic pregnancy and had to remove her right fallopian tube, along with the foetus to save her life. It was then that they discovered she had scar tissue on her left fallopian tube too, reducing her chances of conceiving naturally.


‘But we never gave up hope,’ said Rebecca. ‘Tom and I wanted a child of our own more than anything so we just kept on trying.’

The second time it took the couple a full year to fall pregnant again in January 2011 but that baby was also sadly not meant to be. The 12-week scan revealed that the foetus had developed into a cluster of cysts, a condition known as a partial molar pregnancy.

Rebecca said: ‘We were advised to have a surgical evacuation which once again left us emotionally and physically scarred. It was such an awful time and I began wondering whether I’d ever be a mother.’

Rebecca Chisholm, pictured while pregnant with her elder daughter Elle, was so convinced by the power of the fertility massage, after becoming pregnant after five years of trying, she became a practitioner


The couple had to wait a further six months before they could start trying again to ensure Rebecca’s body was clear of molar cells.

She was also experiencing crippling abdominal pains and doctors suspected she had endometriosis and despite trying holistic therapies including Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and reflexology Rebecca was desperate.

She said: ‘It was at this point I decided to seek out alternative means of treatment as the doctors' only solution was to go on the pill which is not great when you are trying to conceive.’

Then a friend told her about Clare Blake, a masseuse in Mayfair, London. ‘She said she’d helped a couple of women she knew who’d been struggling to have children for years,' Rebecca said.

‘I had almost given up at that point. But I reasoned that even if it didn’t work, it couldn’t do any harm, so why not give it a try?’

Rebecca Chisolm, pictured on her wedding day to Tom, is now a mother of two children after years of infertility

Rebecca and Tom tried for years to have a baby and finally after two failed pregnancies were successful


‘I looked at her website and liked the idea behind the treatment – that it combined holistic physical therapy with psychological.’

Rebecca travelled to London for the treatment in February 2012 and had two sessions, which cost between £95 and £150 a session.

‘I knew instantly this was a treatment for me,’ she said. ‘I am used to receiving massages, but there was something so powerful and different about fertility massage therapy. I felt so nurtured and cared for, and Clare used techniques that I hadn't heard of or experienced before.

‘When she left me at the end of the session all wrapped up in cloths, I had this intense sense of calm and I felt so safe. I didn't want to be unwrapped, or get off the bed, but when I did, I still felt whole, strong and empowered, like I had reconnected with my body.

'For the first time in years instead of thinking, "I wish I could have a baby," I began thinking, "I look forward to welcoming my baby". Every ounce of doubt had gone.’

The therapy, called Fertility Massage, was created by natural health practitioner Clare Blake.

Mother-of-one Clare, 41, devised it after working as a doula for several years, supporting women through pregnancy and childbirth.

‘I came across a lot of women who’d struggled to fall pregnant or had suffered miscarriages and wanted to do something to help them,’ she explained.

Trained doula Clare Blake, pictured, offers fertility massages for women struggling to conceive, in her clinic


A qualified massage practitioner, Clare, also learned how to administer deep abdominal massage to help improve the function of the womb during a trip to Belize.

She decided to combine this with 'pulsing' (a type of Tai Chi that involves applying pressure while swinging and moving parts of the body simultaneously to boost circulation), and 'rebozo', a traditional shamanic binding practice, which involves using material wrapped around the abdomen to enable ligaments to relax.

‘The three together help bring harmony and balance to the reproductive system and help women 'reconnect' with their wombs,’ said Clare.

‘The idea is to bring the organs within the abdominal area back into alignment, releasing pressure and strengthening the surrounding muscles and ligaments.

‘This in turn improves blood flow and nerve signals to and from the reproductive organs, as well as helping to flush out toxins and balance hormones, all of which can enhance chances of conception.’

There is also a psychological element to the treatment. Clare believes women sometimes subconsciously prevent conception due to ‘mental blocks’, so she uses visualisation techniques and special meditation as part of the therapy too.

Clare Blake teaches her clients techniques that they can use on themselves at home performing self massage


‘If a woman has suffered a miscarriage or lost a child, or even if she’s afraid of childbirth, it can create a lot of stress and tension which can affect the reproductive system too,’ she said.

Since launching the therapy three years ago Clare has successfully helped around 150 women get pregnant, including Rebecca.

On Clare’s recommendation, Rebecca continued to perform self-massage exercises at home and returned for three more one-to-one treatments with her. In May that year, she was amazed to discover she was pregnant. And this time, there were no problems.

Elle was born in January 2014 and a few months later the couple decided to try for another baby and used some of the massage techniques had taught her. In January 2015 she was pregnant again and she gave birth to Pippa, now three months, in September.

In fact, Rebecca was so impressed by the therapy, she trained as a fertility massage therapist herself so she could help other women.

‘We think of our wombs almost as something separate from us and don’t think to look after them in the way we look after our hearts or lungs,’ she said.

‘It just goes to show that a little womb TLC can make all the difference. It did to me.’

'Clare literally made my dream come true,’ Rebecca said. ‘I’d had two failed pregnancies before I went to see her and needed to restore my faith in my own body.’

For more information visit www.fertilitymassage.co.uk



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