Your baby is growing rapidly, and now you are not moving quite so rapidly anymore! Sound familiar? One sure way to improve pain in pregnancy is through prenatal massage. If you're not experiencing pregnancy pain, but have have discomfort, a massage may also be the answer for you! Pretend we're on Oprah's Holiday edition - "You get a massage! And you get a massage! And you get a massage!"
Prenatal Massage offers many benefits - the first is improvement of nerve pain.
If you've been pregnant before, you can distinctly remember a deep and lasting pain that just continues to increase as the size of your baby increases, it's common to have pain in your back, hips and nether regions. The technical term is Sciatic nerve pain, and it is experienced by many women in late pregnancy because the uterus is expanding, and now resting on different muscles, such as the pelvic floor and lower back.
This pressure can even spread to muscles in the legs, causing them to swell, and cause pain to the nerves. Massage therapy addresses the inflamed nerves by helping to release the tension on nearby muscles.
If you’ve had regular massage at the end of your pregnancy, you know first hand there is significant reduction to nerve pain when a skilled and licensed massage therapist can work their magic.
Your body may have aches and pains all over - so a full body massage can also offer relief to your hip, back and neck.
More than 50% of the pregnant woman population suffers from back pain. It’s just one of the many joys that accompanies pregnancy and starts to get really exciting in the third trimester as the baby grows, adding additional weight causing the woman’s center of gravity to shift. Posture tends to be poor during this time, resulting in even additional strain on the back. Hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy can also cause back pain. Strokes of massage can relieve this pain, and positioning that is typically done with one lying on their belly, can be performed lying on the side. As your massage therapist works along the spine, and concentrates on the lower back, they will reduce discomfort throughout the hips, legs, and back.
Massage is just one of the comfort measures that can reduce pain, stress, leg cramps. The outcomes show improvement for both mothers and babies. Few studies have shown there are negative outcomes, so treat yourself to a massage today!
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Article by Sarah Ziroll
Sarah’s greatest joy is her family: her husband and boys. In her free time, she loves escaping in a great book, “Sarahnading” on her violin, singing, creating crafts and diy projects, hiking the gorgeous mountains of Utah and skiing. Sarah is a Birth Coach and Certified Birth Doula. She’s had 3 amazing births and is passionate to help you achieve the birth of your dreams.