Pregnancy Massage
For Mind and Body
Pregnancy is a special, exciting, and yet sometimes bewildering experience for women. There are emotional and physical happenings ranging from joy and exhaustion to digestive upset and muscular changes, as the body makes room to accommodate the growing baby. Anyone we know who has been pregnant, (and even some women we don’t know), will gift us with stories, warnings and advice. One thing we do know is how our bodies change from one day to the next. It’s an amazing thing to watch and feel.
After the first trimester, as the baby grows, women often feel that the have less room between the ribcage and pelvis. The space that’s there is baby’s apartment, not your torso anymore! Also, shoulders, mid and low backs, tend to bear some stress of the increasing weight of baby in front of us. Some of us may experience increases sinus issues, low back discomfort, varicose veins in our legs, pain from our hips and sacral area and a general feeling of tiredness as our busy lives don’t stop because we are pregnant.
Pregnancy massage, or prenatal massage, may be a welcome relief. Pregnancy massage is a little different than a “regular” massage. A pregnancy massage is typically 60-75 minutes long. It may be done with mom-to-be laying on her side, like she does in bed, propped with many pillows for comfort. There are places on the body that are not massaged during pregnancy for safety reasons, and the experienced therapist will know these.
Gentle, slow stretches are done to “open” the torso between the hips and the ribs, which lets mom breathe deeply and provides a feeling of added space. The sacrum can be worked on to provide relief from low back pain. The long, flowing strokes on the legs work blood toward the torso and heart to aid circulation. Lotion hydrates the skin, which may become dry and itchy, partially on the belly.
As that infamous “due date” approaches, many moms tend to feel pressure to go into labor, but sometimes labor doesn’t begin by that “due date” because babies aren’t cookies in the oven, and moms don’t have timers in their bellies! The pregnancy massage can be a time to let that stress go, physically and mentally. It’s an hour or so of complete, quiet nurturing for the mom-to-be and therefore, may provide some much needed relaxation. For that reason alone, moms, you don’t have to wait until the end of your pregnancy to get a massage! Massage during the second and third trimester, all the way up until you have that baby, is a wonderful thing for mind and body. Give the gift to yourself, or “register” for your baby shower at a spa or massage practice and let friends and family know. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.