Pregnancy massage is massage therapy which is tailored specifically for you during your maternity months. Sometimes called pre-natal massage or maternity massage, it is a nurturing and relaxing massage treatment . It can help alleviate some of the most common discomforts you may be experiencing such as muscular aches, joint discomfort, emotional ups and downs, busy thoughts and worries.
During your pregnancy, your body begins to rapidly adjust to the new levels of hormones circulating throughout your system and your emotional balance is also affected. Throughout your pregnancy, your body changes in ways you may have never imagined. Muscles soften, ligaments lengthen, skin stretches, and organs shift around as your baby grows in its underwater home. Pregnancy is by far one of the most transformational experiences a woman will ever go through.
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Massage during pregnancy helps to nurture and support you through a time of important changes in your body and mind. It enhances the function of muscles and joints, improves circulation and general body tone, and relieves mental and physical fatigue. The gentle, noninvasive approach of prenatal massage can ease discomfort associated with pregnancy, helping you to prepare for labour and give you nurturing emotional support.
PREGNANCY MASSAGE TECHNIQUES
- I will take special care to ensure your comfort throughout the pregnancy massage session.
- You lay on your side, propped up with a supportive U shaped pillow.
- Adding bolsters and towels for a personalised support system that helps you feel nurtured without needing to lay on your stomach.
- Each session is designed to your needs which change with each trimester of the pregnancy.
PREGNANCY MASSAGE BENEFITS
Pregnancy massage helps in many ways, covering a range of psychological, emotional and physiological benefits including:
- Alleviates stress on your weight-bearing joints and musculo-fascial structures
- Assists in alleviating many of the common discomforts experienced during pregnancy:
- muscular discomforts
- Lower back pain, upper back pain and headaches
- Leg cramps, sciatica, stiffness, tension and knots
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Heartburn and acid reflux
- Fatigue
- Varicose veins
- Nasal congestion
- Shortness of breath
- Oedema of the lower extremities (fluid retention and swelling)
- Neck pain, pain between the shoulder blades
- Lower back pain centred around the sacroiliac joint
- Hip joint pain
- Constipation
- Increases blood circulation provides more oxygen and nutrients to both you and your and baby and stimulates the lymph system which increases immunity and removal of toxins.
- Stabilises your hormone levels and helps relieve depression or anxiety caused by hormonal changes.
- Soothes and relaxes the nervous system by releasing endorphins into the your body. As a result, the you will feel more relaxed and at ease, and you will also sleep more easily and more deeply.
- Assists in maintaining good posture and adjusting to a changing alignment caused by your baby’s increasing weight. Massage increases your muscle tone and flexibility, enhancing your ability to carry this extra weight while also relieving any aches and pains, leg cramps and muscle spasms.
- Eases the demand on your heart and helps keep your blood pressure in check.
- Enhances the pliability of your skin and the underlying tissues.
- Supports the return of blood to your heart and increases blood flow to the uterus and placenta. With the enormous demands placed on your circulatory system during pregnancy, blood volume may increase up to 60 percent compared to pre-pregnancy levels. As your pregnancy progresses and your uterus grows it presses deep into the pelvic bowl which can affect venous return to your heart.
- Prepares you for an easier delivery due to the sedating effect on your nervous system, promoting relaxation and stress relief.
- Offers a natural, safe, drug-free alternative for pain relief. Choices of medication are limited during pregnancy to protect your unborn child.
- In addition to the physical benefits, pregnancy massage provides you with the emotional support and nurturing touch provided by prifessional therapeutic human touch and energy.
Pregnancy massage was once thought of as a luxury but over recent years it is recognised as a very powerful tool in holistic medicine. Taking the time to breathe and be present offers many positive effects. The birth of the next generation deserves each of us to be as awake and aware of the process as possible. Your children will thank you for this presence felt even while still deep inside your body. Through pregnancy massage, you will experience greater joy and ease in their Beings and bodies, they will know that this is their natural state.