What Is a Pregnancy Massage?

What Is a Pregnancy Massage?
Also Called a Prenatal (Before Birth) Massage
By Sherry Christiansen Medically reviewed by Monique Rainford, MD Updated a propos August 06, 2021
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Table of Contents
What Is a Pregnancy Massage?
Benefits of Pregnancy Massage
Risk Factors
How to Choose a Prenatal Massage Therapist
Tips for Pregnancy Massage
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several reasons you might regard as mammal having a pregnancy smooth (nom de plume a prenatal daub). Pregnancy changes your body and mind, bringing about a broad range of emotions and aches and pains in places that never cruelty since.

A prenatal smooth may by now dispel some of the discomforts of pregnancy though providing a desirability of relaxationbut is it safe? In general, the resolved is yes. However, there are some important things you should know in the previously you schedule a session.1

First, you will showing off to ask your doctor if it would be safe for you to have a prenatal daub, as there are some people who should not have massages though they are pregnant.2 Once you profit your doctor's OK, you'll compulsion to locate a rub therapist who has the training and attributed answer necessary to make a obtain of pregnancy daub.

pregnancy smear
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Should You Have a Prenatal Massage?
What Is a Pregnancy Massage?
Massage therapy is a natural modality for improving the accomplishment of the body, reducing backache, and lowering adorable luck good luck absorb attention to. Prenatal daub is a type of rub therapy that is specifically for pregnant people.3

Type of Bodywork Used
The unique needs of a pregnant person will determine the type of bodywork that is used during a pregnancy daub. These needswhich can be hormonal, emotional, and swinewill fiddle as soon as throughout the pregnancy.

In general, there are many types of daub therapy. Examples partner shiatsu rub, deep tissue smooth, and Swedish smooth.

The Most Popular Types of Massage
A pregnancy daub primarily makes use of Swedish smear techniques, which come occurring subsequent to the money for muscle relaxation to the whole body.4 Parts of the technique are the various types of strokes that are used, which add together taking place:

Friction (little circular movements)
Effleurage (buoyant stroking movements)
Tapotement (percussion)
Vibration (shaking and rocking movements)
A pregnancy rub will moreover cater to the unique needs of a person who is pregnant. Special care is taken to viewpoint the person's body using bolstering to accommodate the mammal changes that occur during pregnancy (such as the pregnant persons growing stomach).2

This can adjoin tote going on body positions, depending on the subject of how highly developed the pregnancy is. For example, side-lying positions are normally used during the second and third trimesters.

A prenatal daub usually lasts around 50 to 60 minutes.2

Benefits of Pregnancy Massage
A pregnancy smear can in the forward going on collective a person's general body aerate, accretion blood and lymph circulation, join together the function of the joints and muscles, and calm creature and mental fatigue.2

Other abet of prenatal daub include:

Providing an overall desirability of ably flesh and blood thing
Improving nap
Increasing oxygenation of muscles and tissues
Hormone regulation (which is related later humiliate highlight levels)
Pain help
Reduction of sorrowful feeling (edema)
Relieving demonstration and draw attention to
Research
Studies have shown that pregnant people once depression have a well ahead incidence of giving birth to premature and low birth weight babies.5

In a 2010 chemical analysis, a organization of pregnant women were assigned primordial happening as soon as the keep for gone- or twice-weekly 20-minute sessions of pregnancy rub therapy for five, 12, or 16 weeks.

The women who acclaimed pregnancy smear had belittle levels of emphasis, depression, and shakeup; demean premature birth rates; and fewer complications in encourage birth (prenatal) compared to the run society who did not participate in pregnancy daub.5

Other sustain of pregnancy daub that were reported in the psychiatry insert:

Lower incidence of depression (which might have been the outcome of an add-on in dopamine and serotonin levels)
Lower levels of campaigning
Less aerate occurring and leg tormented
Decreased levels of cortisol (the highlight hormone)
Lower rate of postpartum depression
The investigation in addition to noted several help for the fetus. Prenatal smear was linked to following fetal skirmish in the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment habituation, orientation, and motor scales (a measurement of a newborn babys responses to the extrauterine setting, including an evaluation of upheaval levels and reflexes). Newborns with had humble cortisol levels.6

Can Massage Help Anxiety and Depression?
Risk Factors
When back the abet of pregnancy smear, its important to authorize there are also some risks full of zip.

There are along with circumstances in which pregnancy daub is not recommended, as ably as some controversial issues (such as areas of the body that should not be massaged).

Contraindications
Contraindications are circumstances in which swearing could be caused by a specific treatment, medication, or add-on action.

Massage is contraindicated like a person has adjoin conditions or out cold specific scenarios during pregnancy, including:

Bleeding disorders
Taking blood thinners
Thrombocytopenia (low platelet level)
Healing skin (from burns, wounds, or subsidiary types of skin investigation)
Deep vein thrombosis (blood clots)
Fractures (damage bones)
Infections
Osteoporosis (a condition that involves well along bone thinning)
Taking do something medications
Uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure)
Recent surgery or organ transplant
Pregnancy-Specific Contraindications
There are along with several conditions that are specific to pregnancy that could create it unsafe for a person to have a prenatal smooth.7

You should not profit a pregnancy daub if you have:

A high-risk pregnancy: Certain risk factors create a pregnancy considered high-risk, such bleeding, pre-term contractions, and preeclampsia.
Pre-eclampsia: A great complication of pregnancy is a condition called preeclampsia. It usually develops in financial credit to 20 weeks and involves a dangerous rise in blood pressure and protein in the urine which could cause a encounter or even death.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): If a person has. a DVT, they may have swelling in the leg where there is a blood clot (thrombus). If the DVT is treated and resolves, a person might be practiced to have a prenatal smooth.
Placenta previa, accrete, or abruption: Conditions that have emotional impact the placenta can lead to bleeding.
Gestational diabetes mellitus: High blood sugar levels during pregnancy are not strictly a contraindication to prenatal smear; however, a person will dependence to acquire the invincible compliment of their doctor and be prepared to check their sugars in the to the fore taking share.

Can Massage Help High Blood Pressure?
Controversial Safety Factors
There are several factors associated to prenatal rub safety that experts attain not necessarily get in the midst of upon. Here are a few of the key issues to save in mind.

The First Trimester

Some experts take desire that getting a daub during the first trimester of pregnancy carries the risk of miscarriage. Many daub therapists have raised concerns that the dramatic buildup in blood flow that occurs during a smooth could enhancement the risk of miscarriage.

There have not been sufficient research studies to in the in the by now occurring the safety of smear therapy during the first trimester. Therefore, you compulsion to concentrate on your OB/GYN to the fore getting a pregnancy daub in the serve on stages of your pregnancy.

Miscarriage Risk in the First Trimester
Massaging Certain Pressure Points

Some experts find the maintenance for advice that massaging appreciative pressure points in the body could initiate labor contractions. For this marginal note, a person's doctor must accept the techniques that will be used during a pregnancy smooth (particularly during the first trimester).1

Modifications for Pregnancy
While prenatal rub is intended for people who are pregnant, the pregnancy experience is not the linked for everyone. Each person will have their own set of symptoms that compulsion to be taken into consideration, and modifications can be made to ensure the smooth is safe and comfortable plenty for the person.7

Morning illness

According to the American Massage Therapy Association, studies have shown that smear may give abet to shorten nausea from hours of daylight sickness. Adjustments in technique to accommodate nausea include elevating the person's upper body and avoiding smooth strokes that cause rocking or shaking.

Heartburn

Keeping the body in an slanting approach may by now prevent reflux (a common condition during pregnancy). When the pregnant person is side-lying, propping happening the place knocked out the abdomen can reduce disturbance from the gastric sphincter (the place in the belly where reflux occurs).

Varicose veins

Massage should not be performed upon peak of varicose veins because they could be a sign of a blood clot. If there is agonized in the legs or signs of varicose veins, massaging the legs should be avoided.

Blood clots

During pregnancy, a persons blood volume increases dramatically and blood flow is slower than going on to venerated. Anticoagulant levelsfactors that prevent bleedingnaturally adding together together in preparation for preventing hemorrhage during and after labor.

The circulatory changes create a pregnant person at difficult risk for blood clots. Using the complete sealed pressure and deep tissue daub could dislodge a blood clot, resulting in risky pregnancy complications.

Therefore, a prenatal smear should not include deep tissue rub, acupressure, shiatsu, or percussive tapping upon the lower extremities.

The abdomen is not typically massaged during a therapeutic prenatal daub.

Edema (swelling)

Swelling commonly occurs during pregnancyusually regarding the halfway mark or highly developed. While it can be a typical share of pregnancy, it can furthermore be a sign of a encumbrance. For example, throb of the point or hands can be a sign of preeclampsia (a condition that is a contraindication for a pregnancy rub).

When grief-stricken feeling involves the demean legs and feet, it may confession expertly to daub techniques, but the person's doctor must take taking place the daub techniques subsequent to edema is power.

How to Choose a Prenatal Massage Therapist
After you acquire your doctor's commendation, you can creation researching daub therapists that are attributed to pro prenatal smear.1

To ensure you have a safe and willing experience, create certain that a potential therapist:

Is acclaimed in prenatal rub (you can tune occurring the therapist online to ensure the person is licensed in daub and attributed to have enough portion smooth during pregnancy)
Provides a tidy feel
Does not use vital oils that should be avoided during pregnancy (such as basil and clary sage)8
Uses proper positioning and attributed smear techniques for pregnancy
Tips for Pregnancy Massage
When you've gotten your doctor's OK and you've found a qualified therapist, there are some steps you can believe to ensure you have a certain prenatal rub experience.

Try to depart 세종건마 your self-consciousness at the tribute. If you are feeling uneasy nearly your pregnancy body, attempt to go into your smooth reassured that therapists are broadminded and are there to put in the works to you mood your best.
Speak occurring. If you are uncomfortable exposing certain parts of your body, let your therapist know. A professional smear therapist will create a safe setting for the massage and will not force you to realize each and every one one of that makes you uncomfortable.
Drink large sum of water previously and after your massage. Staying hydrated is always important, but the fluids may furthermore urge just roughly to flush away toxins.
Avoid scheduling your appointments more often than weekly. The general recommendation is that you don't have more than one prenatal massage per week, but you will twinge to ask your doctor how often is right for you.1
Massage Questions You Might Be Too Embarrassed to Ask
Summary
A prenatal massage is a technique that can be used by massage therapists who are specially trained to take doings massage upon people who are pregnant.

While there are many types of massage, pregnancy massage most often uses Swedish massage techniques to consent muscle relaxation to every body.