How Safe Is Pregnancy Massage?

For centuries people have used massage for therapeutic reasons to help get rid of stress and tension built up in the muscles. Pregnancy is stressful, because of the excessive weight gain and pregnant woman can benefit from a therapeutic massage to help relieve the stretching, aching muscles. Pregnancy requires a different approach though, but the benefits, if done right, help add to a healthy prenatal care. A pregnant woman needs to find a massage therapist who has training and certification to give prenatal massages. They know how to massage a pregnant mother safely without harming her or the baby.

Benefits

Because massage acts to reduce stress it helps a pregnant mom to feel relaxed, and this helps her to be healthier because she has relief from the muscle strain. Massage helps to relieve depression symptoms because it gives an overall good feeling. Swedish massage works to improve circulation and lymphatic system with the focus on muscle groups throughout the body. Swedish massage is safe for pregnancy because it works to target areas that change due to pregnancy hormones, including the loosening of the joints and muscles relieving the most common discomforts of a growing pregnancy.

Massage Regulates Hormones and Reduces Swelling

Pregnancy hormones surge through the mother, often making her feel discomfort. Because safe massages helps with circulation, it also helps with overall well-being, and that includes hormone regulation, because when the mother is stress-free, her hormones will remain balanced. Stress causes hormones to fluctuate. A good massage will aid the body in releasing more serotonin and dopamine (feel good hormones) and helps to reduce the stress hormones of cortisol and norepinephrine (stress producers). This helps the pregnant mom to relax and reduces the instances of preterm labour issues.

Swelling is just a part of pregnancy, and the swelling affects the muscles and joints causing discomfort. A good massage helps to alleviate the swelling by causing the soft tissues to reduce the fluid build-up. This aids the body in disposing of the excessive fluids, which helps to add to the comfort of the pregnant mom.

Precautions

It is risky to receive a massage from someone who is not certified to do prenatal massages. Only those who have proper certification and education are qualified to give a pregnant woman a safe massage. Seek out professionals who can show their credentials and references. Pregnant women require specialized treatment to allow for their growing belly. Avoid tables with holes, which allow the belly to stretch unnecessarily. Instead, a professional massage therapist will have her to lie on her side, to support the growing belly.

Who should not have a prenatal massage?

Any pregnant woman who is experiencing a high-risk pregnancy should avoid a prenatal massage. High risk conditions such as high blood pressure from preeclampsia or PIH, at risk for preterm labour and premature birth. Other than those conditions, a pregnant woman should ask her health care provider if she is okay to have a prenatal massage. Generally if she is in good health, prenatal massage is safe, however some believe it is dangerous for a woman in her first trimester, feeling it may increase the risk for miscarriage.