Is massage during pregancy safe?

Many women often ask if massage during pregnancy is safe. This is a great question! With a properly trained massage therapist, massage IS totally safe for most women. It is safe whether she is in her 1st, 2nd, or 3rd trimester, right up until delivery (even during delivery)!

Often, women are most concerned about massage being harmful during their 1st trimester, or they are concerned about foot massage “accidentally activating uterine reflex points”. But these are huge misconceptions. Prenatal massage has absolutely nothing to do with causing complications, miscarriages, or starting early labor (and a foot massage is not the same as Reflexology). The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has listed and published the known causes of miscarriage, and massage (including foot massage) is NOT one of them (https://www.acog.org/patient-resources/faqs/pregnancy/early-pregnancy-loss). In fact, massage during pregnancy actually has many benefits for mamas-to-be and can help keep her and baby healthy and well throughout the pregnancy! .

Massage during pregnancy can help ease headaches, release back & hip tension, reduce leg soreness, ease sciatic pain, reduce neck pain, and help reduce swelling in the hands, feet, and ankles. It can also help increase energy, reduce anxiety, reduce fatigue & insomnia, and reduce overall muscle pain and soreness. It has even been known to improve hormonal function and delivery of nutrients throughout the body which can help improve and increase the function of the placenta! Massage during pregnancy is also a great time to practice breath awareness and relaxation techniques to help prepare the mind and body for labor. It’s even recommended that women bring in their own birthing playlists to listen to during the massage!

There are a few reasons why pregnancy massage would need to be postponed, which includes if the woman is experiencing: 1.) fetal complications, 2.) placental abruption, 3.) preeclampsia/eclampsia, 4.) deep vein thrombosis, 5.) unexplained/unilateral pitting edema, or 6.) if the woman is showing signs/symptoms of miscarriage or preterm labor. If you are experiencing any other concerns during pregnancy, make sure to let your massage therapist know so that the massage can be proceeded with caution and/or possibly be altered.

I know every woman is always concerned with growing a happy, healthy baby during pregnancy, and sometimes the world makes us afraid and believe everything we do could be potentially harmful to the baby and our bodies! But I would like to end with a short story about a friend of mine, Brandi, who went into preterm labor on her 24th week of pregnancy and she was on bed rest for 11 weeks in the hospital. Around the 3rd week of bed rest Brandi started getting extremely uncomfortable and sore and asked if I could come in and massage her. At first, I was conflicted with concern about giving her a massage during a high risk pregnancy. But another part of me was saying, “She is in pain. She is asking for help. Massage is not going to hurt her or her baby.” After going back and forth in my head, I decided to go to the hospital. I talked with Brandi’s doctor and then went in and gave her the massage.

By the end of the massage, she was SO grateful and expressed how relieved and relaxed her body was feeling. She thanked me over and over again. The doctors and nurses were all happy to see her feeling better and they were not concerned at all about her having the massage- they even took the baby’s heart rate afterwards and said that it had improved significantly from that morning. They actually asked if they could refer me to some other pregnant women who were there on bed rest!

The moral of that little story is to not be afraid of massage during pregnancy! I think every woman is like a strong, beautiful warrior during an amazing (and sometimes overwhelming) journey of pregnancy and birth. Massage is simply a way to take a moment for yourself during this journey.

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Is Massage During Pregnancy Safe?

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