Pregnancy and Massage Therapy

Massage has been used for centuries by cultures across the globe to nurture pregnant women and relieve the stress of pregnancy's dramatic structural, physiological, psychological, spiritual, and social changes.

The stress of these changes can lead to a number of challenges:

• weakened immune system
• increased heart rate
• increased blood pressure
• increased nausea and vomiting
• decreased blood supply to the uterus and the baby
• interference with fetal brain and nervous system developement
• greater likelihood of labor complications
• difficulty recovering postpartum
• fetal distress, low birth weight, and irritability

Research shows that massage therapy during pregnancy can result in:

• decreased stress hormone levels
• reduced maternal anxiety
• improved mood
• better sleep
• less back pain
• fewer complications in labor
• fewer postnatal complications for the infant
• increased secretion of prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production
• enhanced placental function

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR A HEALTHY PREGNANCY

• Facilitates the physiological process of gestation by increasing blood and lymphatic circulation for the mom, placenta, and the baby
• Increases the mom's energy by increasing cellular respiration and nutrition
• Improves lymphatic circulation--i.e. decreases edema
• Reduces stress and promotes relaxation by stimulating glandular secretions
• Reduces the stress on weight-bearing joints
• Increases the mom's muscle tone and enhances her flexibility--A GREAT BENEFIT FOR THE BIRTHING PROCESS