The benefits of prenatal massage

First of all, what is it?

When discussing prenatal massage, it is important to first know what a therapeutic massage is. Therapeutic massages are any type of massage that is meant to relieve pain or swelling from conditions such as high stress, or in this case pregnancy. There are a variety of painful symptoms that can be alleviated from prenatal massages from reduced anxiety to relieving joint pains. Additionally, prenatal therapy doesn’t just improve your pain, but it also may save your child. The reason for this is that research has proven that these massages improve labor outcomes and your newborn’s health. This massage requires a multitude of techniques including the Swedish Massage to fulfill various needs such as joint and muscle pains as well as depression and anxiety. 

Swedish Massage

Prenatal massages use this technique to relieve muscle tension and let the patient relax as well as energize them. Swedish massage can even improve your blood and lymphatic circulation through soft, kneading strokes. 

Swedish massage is one of the most popular prenatal massage techniques there is as it resolves many common discomforts brought by the large number of hormone shifts that occur in the body during pregnancy.

The Regulation of Hormones

These massages have even been proven to work by researchers who have found that hormone levels that manipulate your stress and anxiety are significantly reduced after therapeutic massages are included in a woman’s prenatal care. The reduced amount of stress may also lead to a more regular mood and improving cardiovascular health. The massages work incredibly fast with some women just needing bi-weekly massages for 5 weeks before hormones that deal with stress were reduced, and hormones such as dopamine or serotonin were increased. A low amount of both of these may lead to clinical depression.

Reduced Swelling

Now although to most of us swelling may be a once in a while annoyance, pregnant women have to endure swelling, particularly in the legs very often. Pregnant women may begin to experience swelling in the legs from the growing weight of their unborn child inside. After a while of swelling with no relief, the swelling can inflame other nerves and even lead to sciatic nerve damage. Damage to this nerve can weaken any foot movements, knee bends, or difficulty moving the foot forward. It can also provide weakness and damage to your lower leg, back of your thigh, or sole of your foot. So just simple swelling may lead to weakness in your legs and knees. Another type of swelling is known as edema, or swelling of the joints during pregnancy. This type of swelling is caused by reduced blood circulation due to an increased amount of pressure on major blood vessels, as they get obstructed by the heavy uterus. Massages help to reduce the collection of any fluids in any swollen joints. Biweekly massages can also promote increased removal of tissue waste by the body’s lymph system. Thankfully, for both cases, mild pressure can stimulate swelling and reduce swelling in the body.

Precautions and Conclusions

To conclude, prenatal massages have the ability to fulfill a wide range of needs and can prevent multiple injuries, such as edema. And as normal, you should always bring up any sort of prenatal care with your prenatal care provider to see if this certain procedure is healthy or needed. Always contact and work with trained professionals when thinking about any future procedures you may want to invest in, especially if it may directly affect your newborn. Prenatal massages may significantly improve your and your newborn’s health, but always consider any possible risks with trained professionals.

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