Whether you’ve been pregnant before and experienced the back pain yourself or you’ve heard many of the horror stories, including how much back pain you may experience just from being pregnant, you’ll need to relieve the discomfort you feel. This may seem like a simple task, but some women may struggle with achieving their desired outcome: Progressing through a pain-free pregnancy.
PRENATAL MASSAGE; IS IT BENEFICIAL TO PREGNANT WOMEN?
One of the most common ways to relieve this kind of back pain is through therapeutic massage. Therapeutic massage provides the body with wonderful benefits, including mental relaxation, stress relief and muscle relaxation. A common question, however, is whether massage may be dangerous to women who are expecting. Let us be the first to tell you, it’s not! Women who schedule regular massages with our certified prenatal massage therapists tend to feel more relaxed and experience less back pain and overall less discomfort from bodily changes.
CAN YOU GET A MASSAGE WHILE PREGNANT, AND MOREOVER, IS IT SAFE? THE ANSWER: YES!
Getting a massage from a certified prenatal massage therapist is safe, and it can give your body the extra care it needs during this stressful time. When you schedule a massage in Woburn, you will be getting a Swedish massage. This type of massage technique is the most popular style and involves long strong over tight muscles. Additionally, it’s recommended you stay away from deep tissue massage because that technique might pose a blood pressure or circulation risk associated with deep muscle penetration, especially when massaging the inside of legs and the calves. This is due to the fact that a woman’s body will be carrying double the amount of blood during pregnancy, making blood pressure rise much easier.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NORMAL SWEDISH MASSAGE AND A PRENATAL MASSAGE?
Traditionally, when you schedule an appointment for a massage with a therapist, you’ll be given a full body massage. You’ll start laying in the supine (face up) or prone (face down) position and then switch to the opposite position halfway through the massage. During your session, you’ll be given a shoulder, neck, back, arm, hand, leg, stomach (optional), glute and foot massage.
A prenatal massage is a little different. During a prenatal massage, you’ll lay on your side throughout the entire massage. During the first trimester, you may feel comfortable enough to continue laying on your back. If this is the case, you may choose to do so as our massage therapists massages your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, legs and feet. Some women choose to have our therapists lather lotion and massage it into the skin on stomach; however, this is completely optional. If you simply cannot lay on your back, you will lay on your side (on whichever side you’re most comfortable). If you are laying on your side during the arm, hand, neck, arm, leg and foot massage, we’ll have you start laying on your right side, then switch to laying on your left side so we can massage both legs, arms, feet, hands and each side of the neck and shoulders appropriately. Next up is a relaxing and tension-relieving back massage. At this time, if you were laying on your back, we’ll have you roll over onto your side. If you are already comfortable on your side, we’ll have you stay in the same position. In order to massage your glutes and back, you will lay on your side (whichever side you’re most comfortable). We’ll spend a period of time massaging your lower back, upper glutes, mid-back and upper back, including your shoulders and the back of your neck once again.
After you massage has ended, we’ll leave you to relax for a few minutes, gather your thoughts and get dressed.
WHY SHOULD YOU SCHEDULE A PRENATAL MASSAGE?
The Swedish massage you will receive is a great way to keep tightening muscles at bay, leaving you as relaxed as you can be during the intense changes pregnancy can bring upon women. Tight muscles in the lower back and upper glutes is very common among pregnant women and our massage therapists can help relieve the tension, making the rest of your pregnancy a breeze.
It’s crucial to note that, if you have a high-risk pregnancy, it’s up to you to reach out to your medical doctor to learn if a prenatal massage is welcome. Also, it’s not recommended to schedule a massage during your first trimester, however, it isn’t uncommon. To learn more details as to why, feel free to contact us. If you cannot schedule a massage while pregnant, we recommend you reach out to our massage therapists postpartum. Learn more about prenatal massage by giving us a call. Reach out to us at 844-258-5498, or book an appointment!
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