Nurturing the Mother
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Hello! I'm Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist, Postpartum Doula & creator of The Cesarean Recovery Guide.
I am here to support and empower you in pregnancy, postpartum and especially post csection. Nurturing the Mother is the result of an evolution of care. Through the years I, Janelle Fontaine, have grown my practice from being a massage therapist to the general public to narrowing my skills in supporting birthing folks in pregnancy and postpartum. After the birth of my first son, I saw the need for
Does your c-section scar hurt during physical intimacy?
This feeling isn’t your new normal and it’s a sign that it’s time to rehab your scar.
Why?
When a scar heals, tightness can occur and this tightness can pull on things like your lady bits and everything in between (and around and side ways and…).
Once things get moving during in*******se, it’s a bit like a game of tug of war - one part gets pulled the part at the other end feels the pull.
Makes sense?
So what can you do?
Get curious and start massaging your scar.
You might be surprised that by softening the tissues through massage that the pain decreases and eventually fully goes away.
Want to know where to start? Comment 🙌 and I’ll be there to support you.
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
08/04/2026
C-section scars are like icebergs.
What you see on the surface is only a fraction of what’s underneath ❤️🩹
Your scar might look healed and on the outside, it is!
But beneath that thin line on your skin are multiple layers of tissue that were all cut through and sutured back together during your surgery. Skin, fascia, muscle, the uterus itself. Each one healing on its own timeline, in its own way.
And that's where the real story of your recovery lives...
The tightness you feel when you bend, the pulling when you lift your baby, the numbness that makes your scar feel like it belongs to someone else, the lower back ache that showed up out of nowhere.
This is why scar massage goes so much deeper than the scar itself. As an RMT specializing in cesarean recovery, the work I do with my clients, and the work the Cesarean Recovery Guide teaches you to do yourself, addresses those deeper layers.
If you're ready to go deeper, the Cesarean Recovery Guide is your roadmap. Link in bio. 🤎
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
[ c-section recovery, scar massage, core rehab, pelvic floor recovery, postpartum healing, compression therapy, scar desensitization, postpartum wellness, cesarean care plan, holistic healing ]
08/03/2026
If you had a c-section and you're planning another birth, you're probably asking yourself: VBAC or repeat c-section?
VBAC, or Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, means attempting a vaginal birth after a previous cesarean. Research shows it generally results in similar or better maternal and newborn outcomes than a planned repeat cesarean, including fewer infections and shorter hospital stays. The risk of uterine rupture for those trialing labor after a cesarean is about 0.47%, compared to about 0.026% for those having an elective repeat cesarean.
Repeat Cesarean means scheduling another planned cesarean birth. It offers predictability, avoids labour altogether, and may ease anxiety for women who've had a difficult or traumatic birth experience, though each surgery does carry its own surgical risks.
So how do you choose? Take the selfpaced course from My Powerful VBAC to understand the full picture. Journal through your thoughts, fears, and hopes. Talk to other moms who've walked this path. Weigh the pros and cons against your unique life and family. And talk it through with your healthcare provider.
And whichever path you choose, your scar will still needs care and attention now. From scar massage to core reconnection, my Cesarean Recovery Guide is here to support you through it. Link in my bio. 💛
08/02/2026
🍂 Register for Fall Courses! 🍂 These are the last courses offered in 2026.
Do you support clients during pregnancy and postpartum? Are you confident in supporting them to prepare for and recover from a cesarean?
If not, Nurturing the Mother: Cesarean Massage and Rehab for Healthcare Professionals is for you.
Cesarean births make up over 1 in 3 births in Canada, and most are unplanned. That means thousands of people are recovering from major abdominal surgery while learning how to care for a newborn—often with very little support for their own healing.
That’s where you come in.
Join me for a two-day, online training designed for health care professionals who want to show up more fully for this often-overlooked population.
📍September 26th & 27th IN PERSON , Vancouver BC
⏰ 9 AM – 5 PM PST
🗓 October 4 & 5 2026 VIA ZOOM
⏰ 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM PST
🗓 Follow-up: Q&A, Integration & Business Mastermind for Virtual AND In Person! VIA ZOOM
✨ NEW FOR FALL COHORTS! ✨ Integration and Business Mastermind
The Wrap up Q&A Call for the virtual cohort has been up-leveled. It will now include a conversation about Integration and for those interested, a Mastermind session where we can brainstorm and level up your massage business. The in person cohort will also be included in this wrap up call.
What you’ll get:
• 2 live teaching days
• Ongoing support inside a private WhatsApp group until the final Q&A call.
• Real-time integration and case discussion
• Final Q&A, Integration & Business Mastermind
✨ Want to join a room full of heart-led professionals learning this work together? DM me or email [email protected] for details and registration.
Let’s nurture the nurturers. Let’s change the standard of care.
1 in 3 people give birth by cesarean section in North America.
And here in BC, that number has climbed to over 40%.
After surgery, people leave the hospital with clear instructions on:
✔️ keeping the incision clean
✔️ watching for signs of infection
But when it comes to actual recovery...
❓how the scar heals
❓how the tissue changes week by week
❓what sensations are normal
❓when and how to safely begin working with the scar
There’s often very little guidance available to families until they find me.
That gap is exactly why I created The Cesarean Recovery Guide.
It’s a week-by-week roadmap (16+ weeks) that walks you through:
– what’s happening beneath the skin
– how healing evolves over time
– when scar work is helpful + how to do it yourself
– and how to support your body safely and intentionally through recovery
This guide is about understanding your body and scar's needs.
✨ Link in bio to learn more.
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
[ c-section recovery, scar massage, core rehab, pelvic floor recovery, postpartum healing, compression therapy, scar desensitization, postpartum wellness, cesarean care plan, holistic healing ]
07/30/2026
Cesarean recovery shouldn't be guesswork, so I simplified recovery into 4 pillars for moms:
✨ Rest
✨ Compression
✨ Core Connection
✨ Scar Mobility
Checkout the carousel to learn more, and hit share to help other c-section moms!
Rest
Too much activity too soon = more pain, slower healing.
Compression
Wrap support can reduce strain and swelling.
Should feel snug, not tight. Check out
Core connection
Start with a 360 breath. Youtube can be a source of diaphragmatic breath tutorials.
Scar mobility
Closed doesn’t mean functional or pain-free.
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
[ c-section recovery, scar massage, core rehab, pelvic floor recovery, postpartum healing, compression therapy, scar desensitization, postpartum wellness, cesarean care plan, holistic healing ]
4 Signs that your c-section scar has fully healed:
⏳ Note that it takes 1 to 2 years to fully heal from a c-section.
This timeline is very important to keep in mind. While it may feel like it’ll take 6 weeks (we get discharged at that time, so we’re good to go, right?), it often takes much longer.
👍 No pain felt in the c-section area. At rest but also with any movement or exercise.
💜 You’re fully satisfied with the way your scar looks.This is sometimes a tricky one because we have certain ideas of what our postpartum body will look like.
💪 Your core and body feels strong. Often after pregnancy and a c-section our core and glutes feel weak. Working on strength during our recovery helps us feel strong and pain free.
💃 You feel comfortable and confident in all activities (including intimacy). Knowing that you can do and feel good doing all the things that make you happy is how you know you’ve made it.
Not feeling quite there yet? send me a DM and let’s see how we can get you there.
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
07/28/2026
A lot of people who are planning for their upcoming vaginal birth skip the c-section part of their prep because they don’t think it will happen to them.
Avoiding it doesn’t change your chances. 1 in 3 people across Canada will have a c-section. 41% of people in BC have a c-section. Of that 41%, 60.3% are UNPLANNED cesareans.
Reading about cesarean birth, knowing your options, even writing preferences for it does not manifest that kind of birth for you. But it does mean you won't be blindsided by the possibility. It means you can still be an active participant of your birth, AND it means you are more prepared for what recovery looks like. It won't be 6 weeks and wash your hands clean. You will be so much more prepared for the first 2 years being postpartum after a c-section.
You are worth knowing what to expect, and what kind of tools and resources are available to you, that will help support your cesarean recovery journey.
To start your planning, look no further than my Cesarean Recovery Guide. Comment GUIDE for more info.
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
[ c-section recovery, scar massage, core rehab, pelvic floor recovery, postpartum healing, compression therapy, scar desensitization, postpartum wellness, cesarean care plan, holistic healing ]
You've tried copying the scar massage reels you've seen on Instagram, but nothing seems to work for your scar...
Here's the thing. Instagram reels are a great place to start. They introduce you to the idea, they normalize touching your scar, and they get you curious about your own healing. We LOVE that!!
..but they're not where you'll see the most difference.
A 15 second clip can't tell you how much pressure to use or why. It can't tell you where to start based on your stage of healing, how to progress your technique week by week, or what's actually happening in the layers of tissue beneath your skin when you massage. Without that context, it's easy to feel like you're doing something but not really going anywhere.
Self scar massage is one of the most powerful tools in your c-section recovery toolbox.
But it works best when you understand what your hands are doing and why. When you know how to move through the stages of healing progressively, how to address adhesions in the deeper layers of fascia and connective tissue, how to support nerve regeneration, and how to reconnect to your body with intention.
The Cesarean Recovery Guide will take you so much further than any 10 second ree tutorial. Step by step, week by week, with the full education behind every technique so you can finally feel the difference. Link in bio. 🤎
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
[ c-section recovery, scar massage, core rehab, pelvic floor recovery, postpartum healing, compression therapy, scar desensitization, postpartum wellness, cesarean care plan, holistic healing ]
07/26/2026
Follow along or share this free guide with someone who needs it! .ca
Hello! 👋 I’m Janelle, a Registered Massage Therapist with a focus on c-section recovery. Whether you just had a c-section or had one long ago, follow along for tips and tricks and all things cesarean healing related and put c-section recovery into your own hands✨ Have questions? My DMs are always open 🫶
[ c-section recovery, scar massage, core rehab, pelvic floor recovery, postpartum healing, compression therapy, scar desensitization, postpartum wellness, cesarean care plan, holistic healing ]
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