Pre-Natal Massage
This is the most wonderful empowering time in a womans life, although during pregnancy it does not always feel that way. Massage can be a wonderful way to connect with your body and your baby, a time to fully relax in preparation for the birth ahead.
Some of the benefits of pregnancy massage:
- Helps the mom's body to eliminate waste products through the lymphatic and circulatory systems. This combats fatigue and helps the mother feel more energetic.
- Helps with circulation, massage eases the load on mom's heart and helps to keep her blood pressure in check.
- Helps alleviate muscular discomforts, such as cramping, tightening and stiffness.
- Helps carry away the lactic acid and other cellular waste products that build up and cause muscle fatigue.
- Relieves many of the normal discomforts during pregnancy, such as backaches, a stiff neck, leg cramps, headaches, edema, and sore, swollen ankles and feet.
- It increases local and general blood circulation, which brings more oxygen and nutrients to the cells of both the mother and fetus. This means greater vitality and less fatigue for mom and better nourishment for her baby.
- Helps to stimulates glandular secretions, which helps stabilize hormone levels.
- Massage can help relieve depression or anxiety caused by hormonal changes mom is experiencing.
- It relaxes tense muscles and tones loose muscles, and can also increase muscular flexibility. Flexibility will be most helpful during the last trimester and during the birth itself.
- Soothes and relaxes nervous tension, which helps the mother sleep more easily and more deeply. Incidentally, doctors all agree that a relaxed mother will have a happier, healthier pregnancy and possibly an easier childbirth experience, too.
Massage can be used during the birth to make it easier and more comfortable for mom, and after the birth as well, to help her regain her strength more quickly and ease postpartum stress.
