What You Need To Know About Massage During Pregnancy
What You Need To Know About Massage During Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be a challenging part of life. Massage therapy can help to alleviate some of the discomfort associated with the changes that happen to one’s body while growing a tiny human.
Misconceptions About Prenatal Massage
There are many concerns I hear from expectant parents regularly regarding massage therapy and I would like to shed some light on misconceptions and hopefully answer questions and address concerns you might have. So, grab a glass of water and put your feet up, we’re about to set out on a journey of information.
There is a rather popular misconception out in the world that there are certain times during a pregnancy that one should not receive a massage for fear of triggering premature labour. This is a fallacy. Women have been doing much more strenuous things during pregnancy over the years. For example, American track runner Alysia Montano competed in the 2017 USATF while 5 months pregnant. There are also many women who unknowingly do strenuous activities in their first trimester before they even realize they are pregnant. Serena Williams discovered she was 8 weeks pregnant only days before competing in AND winning the Australian Open in 2017, she could have easily made that discovery days later and not known. These are extreme examples to be sure, but they illustrate that many women to many more strenuous things than receive a massage and carry their baby to full term.
The viability of a pregnancy can not be affected by massage therapy either by timing or by massage of certain parts of the body. There are rumours that massage of the lower back or ankles can trigger a reaction from the body to end a pregnancy, there is absolutely no proof to substantiate those claims. If massage therapists were keepers of some secret technique to trigger the body to expel a baby, we would never see another woman go over her due date or need to be induced. Babies are born when they are ready, and as much discomfort as they may cause in those final days before delivery, there is no magic button.
Benefits of Prenatal Massage
Massage therapists (or RMTs) can help you manage that discomfort. Changes in your body throughout the process of growing a tiny human can cause varied aches and pains. Some of these come from the physical changes happening inside your body to accommodate your growing child, such as organs being pushed out of the way, and strain being put on the ligaments in your pelvis. Others come from the adaptations one makes on the outside of the body, like using your arms to lift yourself out of a chair.
At your initial appointment, you will be asked to fill out a health history form to make sure your RMTs knows of any reasons why they may need to modify your treatment (positioning, areas of treatment) and personalize it just for you. Your RMT should and will check in to ensure your comfort and safety throughout the series of treatments throughout your pregnancy.
Massage therapy can help you stay mobile and pain free to keep up with any other children you might already have, and at The Nest Family Massage Therapy we even offer childcare on site so we can entertain the kids while taking care of you.
– Shelley Schroeder
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Shelley Schroeder has been a Registered Massage Therapist for over 15 years. Her family focused practice includes prenatal and postpartum massage, as well as treatment of children of all ages. She founded The Nest Family Massage Therapy in 2016 to allow better access to care for parents by providing childcare on site during treatment. She is also a wife and a mother with a keen interest in environmental issues.
DISCLAIMER: massage images in this blog post were provided by the author and are not the work of Pure Natural Newborn Photography.
