Pregnancy and Massage

Pregnancy has come a long way in prenatal nurturing that can make the approaching birth a much more comfortable experience.  With the many changes your body goes through as the baby grows, massage can relax and improve muscle and joint function to ease discomfort from the fast body changes, and as always, will improve circulation and lymphatic system function. Not the least of massage effects, enhanced  emotional and mental wellbeing improves everything from your sleep to your daily energy levels and outlook. Numerous clinical studies have long shown that massage actually reduces some hormones related to stress levels.  Research in work places where studies were conducted showed improved health levels that resulted in less absenteeism and increased efficiency levels. In my experience, mothers-to-be from early pregnancy to their ninth month, when body changes are especially tiring, also experience increased wellbeing that is always encouraging to see. In addition, babies love Reiki, often noticed from their increased movement during a Reiki-Massage session. Reiki is an energy balance addition, if desired, to help balance your system according to its own energetic need and can be incorporated into any massage session.

How safe is massage during pregnancy?  Registered massage therapists are well trained in various conditions and have acquired a skill level for massage at any month of pregnancy that ensures proper care and safety.

An additional option to consider during your birth experience is to have a Doula present to provide focused attention just for you and baby during the birth. They are now more readily available and may help ease labour concerns, especially for first-time mothers or anyone who had a difficult first birth. Hypnotherapy has also been reported to provide excellent pain management that can help nullify the negative concepts we may hold around the experience of birthing.

It’s important to acknowledge that giving birth does not have to be the grinding experience the media so often dramatizes in television shows.  This picture naturally tends to set the stage a new mother expects to face, complete with gut-wrenching screams.  The first step to move beyond this expectation is to acknowledge that losing your focus to move into screaming can only tighten your muscles and entire body system to the point where you are functioning against ‘the flow’. It is with this in mind that a doula could provide guidance to make a difference in your birth experience. Reading the article about natural option birth tips to either stimulate contractions and help ease pain may also be of benefit.