Pregnancy can be a very special time for women. The promise of new life and excitement for the future; planning, celebrating and watching your body change and grow. While pregnancy is such a beautiful gift, it can also come with some discomfort and frustration.
During the later trimesters of pregnancy as the baby grows, the additional weight gain can negatively affect posture leading to back pain. A lot of women also experience sciatic nerve pain and other complications due to the positioning of the baby inside the womb. Prenatal Massage is a wonderful option to explore that can help ease some of these symptoms.
There are so many incredible benefits to prenatal massage some of which include; reduced muscle tension and headaches, improved circulation, improvement in quality of sleep, stress reduction, swelling reduction, and hormone regulation. Regular prenatal massage has also been shown to improve labor outcomes and newborn health. “In women who received bi-weekly massages for only five weeks, hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol (hormones associated with stress) were reduced, and dopamine and serotonin levels were increased (low levels of these hormones are associated with depression. These changes in hormone levels also led to fewer complications during birth and fewer instances of newborn complications, such as low birth weight. The evidence strongly suggests there are maternal and newborn health benefits when therapeutic massage is incorporated into regular prenatal care.” (americanpregnancy.org)
We even have a Pregnancy Massage Pillow that allows expecting mothers to lay face down (something that we know is very much missed during these 9 months). There is a recess in the middle of the cushion that gives your tummy plenty of room as well as a recess for the chest to provide ample comfort. You may find however, even with the extra support, this option does not work for you. If that is the case, we can also perform Prenatal Massage side-lying. This method uses extra pillows to help prop up your head , neck and ensures a great massage that will target all your problem areas.
***As with any care during pregnancy, it is always best to consult your midwife or obstetrician before starting a new therapeutic practice.
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