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52 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k j a n u a r y/ fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 and the pubic symphysis to open a bit to ease delivery, and even allows the bones themselves to bend more easily. It also allows old injuries and new imbalances to exacerbate in a painful way in the last months of carrying and the first months of handling an infant. Of course, all women are different in how all this is manifested, but for the experienced practitioner, this period of extra softness between the third trimester and weaning—often a period of aches and pains with no time to tend to them—is at the same time a unique opportunity to reestablish order in the body, the skeletal frame, and the myofascialature. Because I believe in the healing power of this period, I have a very baby-friendly practice. You want the baby on the breast? Sure. Cuddled next to you on the table? No problem. Fussy? Worry not—just get on the table so we can work toward balanced joints while you are still "under the influence" of the relaxin. Yes, it's a time when imbalances can run rampant, but it is equally a time when a new balance can be set in place for the long, rewarding, endless, intriguing— and did I say long?—road through motherhood. Restoration Again, the resources for postpartum restoration are thankfully plentiful but sadly not as available to all mothers as they should be. We will realize our social values are coming back into play when midwives are paid more than bank presidents in recognition of the relative value of the treasure each of them guard. Many of the problems that come to us derive from the overstretching of the pelvic floor and surrounding ligaments during delivery, as well as perineal cuts and tears, which vary widely. Programs to restore the pelvic floor abound, and for space reasons I will not rehearse them here. 4 Manual therapy to restore the pelvic floor requires going beyond our scope of practice into intrapelvic work and, thus, needs to be left to those with special training, including pelvic physiotherapists and those trained in the urogenital portion of Jean-Pierre Barrall's Visceral Manipulation. 5 Bless them for their work, and bless you if you get trained in this vital but neglected area. In addition to such manipulations as may help postpartum, and exercises to strengthen and tone the pelvic floor itself, practical experience dictates that the final (and most effective) intervention is to strengthen the abdominopelvic balloon as whole, not as individual muscles. The ability to hold urine is not so much taxed in the relaxed situations in which we often learn PC pumps 4. Flex your wrist to 90 degrees and bend your thumb toward your forearm to test your ligamentous laxity. How Loose is Your Net? To test where you or a client lives on the scale of resilience, flex your wrist as far as you comfortably can, and then press your thumb down toward your forearm. No way? You are a Viking. Easy-peasy? You are a Temple Dancer. Most of us lie somewhere in the middle. This exercise is just one of several "Beighton" tests for ligamentous laxity, but it is really a check of the whole fascial net, not just the ligaments. To see how this works, let's look at a couple more examples. For instance: • Does your elbow go past 180 degrees when you open it? Do your fingers bend way back when you pull them? Do you ache after a long plane ride? You are likely a Temple Dancer type. • Can't touch your toes without bending your knees? Lose all your gains in yoga class if you miss two weeks? Long plane rides are a pain but you're fine with a stretch and a shrug while you wait for your luggage? You are a Viking.