How massage can help during Pregnancy
The benefits of massage during pregnancy
Massage is often seen as a luxury, but studies have demonstrated it to be effective at relieving a number of common pregnancy complaints as well as helping to prepare you for birth. Massage therapy is one of the top alternative therapies recommended during pregnancy alongside other popular therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, relaxation and chiropractic therapies.
Pain relief
Many women suffer from aches and pains at some stage in their pregnancy which often worsens as the pregnancy progresses. Common pregnancy ailments include back, hip, neck and wrist pain. Massage has been shown to help reduce these issues and studies have reported that massage therapy during pregnancy reduced leg and back pain. Releasing muscular tension can also help correct postural problems caused by the growing weight of the baby and improve your range of motion, making you feel better in your body but also make labour easier.
Relaxation/reduce stress
Pregnancy and preparing for birth can be a worrying time for many mums to be. Anxiety is fairly common in pregnancy, affecting 12 - 20% of women. Studies have shown that stress can increase a mothers risk of premature labour and can be associated with lower birth weight. Prolonged labour or failure to progress during labour has also been linked to stress, worry or fear. Studies have shown that women who received massage therapy during pregnancy had decreased levels of cortisol (our stress hormone) and a lesser rate of prematurity. The women studied also reported reduced anxiety and depression.
Connect to your body and prepare for birth
Pregnancy massage can increase overall body awareness. Having time to relax when you possibly have a busy job, other kids to look after and a new baby to prepare for means it can be hard to have time to connect to your body. Pregnancy massage gives you time out to focus on your body, connect to how you're feeling and help you to feel calm and ready for birth.
Improve sleep
Lowering our cortisol levels, calming our nervous system and reducing aches and pains can improve our ability to sleep. Pregnancy massage has been reported to decrease the effects of restless leg syndrome, which is often a cause for poor sleep in pregnancy too. Sleep plays a huge roll in how we feel and cope with stresses, so it's essential we get a good level of rest each night. A more comfortable, calm mother will find it easier to sleep and get into a deeper sleep.
Reduce swelling
Swelling is commonly seen in pregnancy, particularly as you get bigger and when it's hot. It often occurs in the legs, particularly around the ankles and feet and sometimes in the hands and forearms too. Pregnancy massage can help improve the lymphatic system, removing excess fluid from the body and therefore reducing swelling and associated pain. This can also help improve conditions such as carpal tunnel.
Improve shortness of breath
Your pregnancy massage therapist will be able to work through the intercostal muscles between the ribs and coach proper breathing techniques. This will help to free up stuck ribs caused by the pressure of the growing baby and enable you to take fuller breaths. This will not only make it easier to move around but also improve your ability to relax mentally and physically, enable your organs and tissues to function optimally and increase your endorphins (happy hormones).
Safe massage positions
During a pregnancy massage, you will be placed on your side to receive the massage, switching to the other side halfway through and ending the massage in a safe position on your back with your head slightly raised above your bump. Side-lying is an excellent position for accessing the neck and ribs and making space around the hips. Ending in a prone (face up) position is a lovely way to finish the pregnancy massage so that your therapist can open up the chest muscles, reducing back pain and work through the jaw and head which are common places we hold stress.
Don't forget to continue your self-care post-birth with a postnatal massage to:
- speed up recovery
- realign the body
- help reconnect and heal the core
- improve your c-section scar (and the associated aches and pains)
- ease those postnatal aches and pains that are so commonly experienced in the shoulders, hips, lower back and legs.
If you are local to Brighton and Hove, you can book pregnancy massage treatment, postnatal massage therapy as well as abdominal scar work with me.
I also offer online massage sessions if you are further afield and would like help.