About BlossomBlossom Health and Maternal Wellness was born out of the need to nurture the total mother in one place. All mothers understand that pregnancy and new motherhood is a very overwhelming time. The essential need to secure the proper support services can be even more confusing. As a result, these services and the mother's self-care, often fall to the bottom of the totem pole. That's why we created a space where we can care for the expectant and new mother in a variety of ways, in our office, or in the comfort of your home.
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About Jada |
Jada Wright Nichols has spent nearly two decades in the wellness industry. She has dedicated her professional career to learning about and practicing the individual components of women's wellness and then bridging the gaps in between them. She began her work as a registered occupational therapist, then became a licensed massage therapist to compliment her basic skill set. As an OT (OTR/L), she has specialized in lymphedema (Complete Decongestive Therapy), oncology rehabilitation, pelvic floor pain & dysfunction, and neonatal intensive care. As a massage therapist (LMT), she focuses on, and is certified in, neuromuscular therapy for pain relief, oncology massage, and perinatal massage, and is also experienced in sports massage, reflexology, and infant massage instruction. Out of the need to provide the additional information that her clients were craving, she pursued a certification in holistic nutrition. Rather than learning only about the components of the Standard American Diet (which is just SAD), she studied nutrition traditions from around the world and throughout history. As a certified holistic health coach, she is fascinated by the interaction among food, the body, and the mind, especially as it relates to hopeful, expectant, new, and breastfeeding mothers. At one point in her career, Jada survived near-debilitating migraine headaches and eventually found relief with yoga. Ten years later, she traveled to Costa Rica to become a yoga instructor (RYT 200), returning to the U.S. to teach classes to cancer survivors, pregnant women, children, and fitness camp participants. After nursing her daughter for 3 full years, and supporting other mothers as a Breastfeeding USA counselor, ROSE Coomunity Transformer, and certified lactation counselor (CLC), she became an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC).
As an expectant mother, Jada ran, hiked, and practiced hot yoga, just as she had done prior to becoming pregnant. During that time, she also participated in prenatal yoga, pilates, and aquatic classes, through Oh Baby! Fitness in Atlanta, GA. While suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum (severe nausea, well beyond "morning sickness"), throughout her entire pregnancy, she realized that the only time that she did not feel nauseous (without medication) was when she was in an exercise class or shortly thereafter. She was determined to offer that gift of relief to others, so she became a perinatal fitness instructor. During her pregnancy, she also benefitted from regular visits to the chiropractor and guided meditation and imagery through Hypnobabies Childbirth Education. After a 23-hour, unmedicated labor, and 7 minute vaginal delivery, Jada's daughter, "Blossom", was born... in the middle of flu season, which caused them to remain very close to home during the fourth trimester. She always imagined that she would immediately snap back into shape and her pervious lifestyle, but it took a little longer than she expected. Because of limited support, in a new city, she was unable to find the resources that she knew and loved, prior to moving to Memphis at 32 weeks. She missed yoga and she missed running, but she most missed her monthly massages. She now offers all of these in-home or community-based services to postpartum mothers. As someone who has worked in the Mommy Wellness Industry, she was at least familiar with many birthing and parenting practices, but quickly learned that her village was not as open to some of the more progressive- or truly traditional- ideals about the care of infants and children. As a result, she offers family-centered childbirth and breastfeeding education classes. Finally, after a year of nursing, holding, carrying, lifting, wearing, and sometimes even "dragging" her spirited daughter, she presented with a whole host of "work-related", repetitive use, and static posture conditions. She knew all of the signs and symptoms because she had treated them in others over her many years as a modality certified, occupational therapist. She is thrilled to be able to form partnerships with local physicians to help get mothers the therapeutic treatment that they need and deserve, in order to be able to best care for their families. Jada is a compassionate servant, a lifelong learner, and an enthusiastic educator. She is excited and well-equipped to help you and your new baby to BLOSSOM throughout your childbearing year. |
Jada's Childbearing Year
Spring 2012 ~ Spring 2013
EVIDENCED-BASED EDUCATION & PRACTICE
Occupational Therapy Nova Southeastern University National Board for the Certification of Occupational Therapy Prenatal Massage and Infant Massage Instruction Academy of Somatic Healing Arts Body Therapy Associates Nurturing The Mother International Loving Touch Foundation Fitness & Yoga Oh Baby! Fitness Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health Nosara Yoga Institute Grow Yoga School Hot Yoga Now Holistic Nutrition Institute for Integrative Nutrition Pelvic Floor Pain & Dysfunction Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute Lympedema Therapy Academy of Lymphatic Studies Child Birth Education & Doula Education DONA International CAPPA- Childbirth And Postpartum Professional Association Lactation Education ROSE Breastfeeding USA The Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice Healthy Children's Center for Breastfeeding Lactation Education Resources BreastfeedingOutlook |
PROFESSIONAL & VOLUNTEER MEMBERSHIP
American Occupational Therapy Association American Massage Therapy Association American Association of Drugless Practitioners Breastfeeding USA Childbirth And Postpartum Professional Association La Leche League Lymphedema Association of North America Memphis Area Lactation Consultant Association Memphis Birth Collective National Association of Professional & Peer Lactation Supporters of Color National Board of Certified Occupational Therapists Shelby County Coalition for Breastfeeding United States Lactation Consultant Association Yoga Alliance |