Our digital editor Claire Smith is expecting her first baby in January. She went along to Feet for Life Reflexology in Old Windsor to see what the virtues of the treatment are during those nine months:

To most busy pregnant women the idea of sitting in a quiet room and putting their feet up while someone massages their aching soles sounds like heaven.

But what if I told you that this one moment of simple tranquillity could also project benefits to the rest of your growing - and probably increasingly uncomfortable - body too?

The experience is pregnancy reflexology - and the results are far reaching, according to Vicky Wilson, who runs Feet for Life Reflexology from her home in Old Windsor.

I have never tried reflexology before but was intrigued about how it could help me as I approach my sixth month of first-time pregnancy.

I have been lucky so far, with only a few minor and common ailments to note. However, I am getting aching in my lower back with the added weight of my bump, and turning over in bed (not to mention getting out of it) could become an increasing strain as I build up to Whale-size proportions.

On my first session with Vicky, the mum-of-two took me through a check-list of how my pregnancy was going so far and my health history. We chatted in detail, swapping anecdotes of pregnancy (as I have discovered all mums and mums-to-be do) and then it was time to put my feet up.

Vicky, who specialises in maternity reflexology but also works on a variety of patients' issues, talked me through how the feet represent our body, and that the different parts of each foot is linked to a particular area of the body - from our big toe being our brain and head and every organ accounted for.

Amazingly, Vicky can work on a particular part of the foot for patients with a problem somewhere else on the body. She does this by massaging the pressure points.

Ultimately reflexology, recognised in the medical industry by some doctors while others discount its virtues, aims to balance the self both mentally and physically.

It is about cleansing the body of toxins, helping it to relax and restoring the energy flow through the body, which may have been hindered by illness, stress or aches and pains. And all this through our tootsies.

Vicky said: "I look at the client's life holistically too, such as their lifestyle and diet, working as a whole. We are working as a team, so they tell me everything I can work towards helping them, and that is what it's all about."

And when it comes to expectant mothers in particular?

"It can help with fatigue and morning sickness and is fantastic for relaxation," Vicky adds.

She is not wrong. I asked her to explain all the different ways she was helping my body when working on each part of my foot, but once she had revealed all I drifted into a deep relaxed state. I was able to keep myself awake - just - so as not to miss the wonderful peaceful feeling washing over my whole body.

Reflexology is also known to have benefits for women trying to conceive too, when the reproductive area is particular focussed on during the session.

Vicky has had clients who have managed to conceive while on her books, however she remains open-minded about how the theory actually works: "Sometimes stress can stop people getting pregnant, so it can be about relaxation."

Treatments can also help women post-pregnancy. Vicky said: "Mums need the body to right itself and reflexology can help it balance, which can do well with things like breastfeeding."

I leave Vicky's home feeling refreshed yet deeply calm and relaxed at the same time. I slept like a baby that night (although I have heard this idiom could be slightly misleading) and I wouldn't think twice about recommending reflexology for expectant mothers should they be suffering at the hands of something pregnancy related.

And the ultimate attraction of maternity reflexology for all those mums-to-be out there? Vicky's mantra says it all: "As my mum always says, a happy mummy is a happy baby."

About Vicky

Thirty-nine-year-old Vicky Wilson MAR (member of the Association of Reflexologists) moved to Old Windsor from Brighton in 2008 with her husband and two children.

She works with the Alzheimer's Society in Maidenhead and Slough offering treatments to carers of those with the disease, and is also involved with the Prince's Trust, organising for fellow Berkshire reflexologists to offer their services at the Palace to Palace finish line at Windsor Castle.

Vicky herself is an advocate of reflexology after benefiting from being treated for a bout of anxiety and stress in 2002. She said: "I was amazed at the results. I felt calm, relaxed, I slept much better and felt more positive."

For more details visit www.feetforlifereflexology.co.uk