4 Benefits Of Prenatal Massage
Like all massages, prenatal can help a pregnant woman to reduce stress and anxiety and lower back and leg pain. However, they are not recommended in all cases.
Like a normal one, the prenatal massage aims to relax the mind and body, relieve pain and make you feel better. However, are you really clear about its benefits?
Prenatal massage
The only difference between a regular massage and a prenatal one is that the latter is designed for pregnant women. That is, this type of massage takes into account the peculiarities and changes that occur in the pregnant woman, adapting the technique to them.
Thus, the prenatal masseuse will know and take into account that, during pregnancy, the center of gravity shifts, causing the neck, back and shoulders to be subjected to greater tension. The same occurs in relation to the lower back, which during these months becomes overloaded due to weight gain.
Thus, prenatal massage is designed to soothe these muscles and areas of the body so that discomfort and pain can be reduced. In addition, like all massages, it is also designed to make you feel better, relaxing and releasing stress and tension.
Benefits of prenatal massage
Lowers stress and anxiety levels
Several studies have been able to verify the effectiveness of prenatal massage in reducing stress and anxiety levels in pregnant women. Indeed, volunteers who received 20-minute prenatal massage sessions for 5 weeks reported less stress from the first session.
Thus, it was found that the group of pregnant women who had received the massages indicated that their mood had improved, that their anxiety levels were lower and that, in addition, they enjoyed a more restful sleep.
On the other hand, these benefits are also related to lower rates of postpartum depression.
Reduces low back pain
One of the most common complaints during pregnancy is low back and back pain. Indeed, the weight gain and pressure of the baby can cause the muscles to feel more loaded and, therefore, that the pregnant woman suffers from aches and pains.
Also, the development of the baby will cause the uterus to increase in size and the center of gravity to shift. In this way, the posture of the pregnant woman will change and, consequently, will overload the muscles of the lower back and back.
In this sense, prenatal massage can help reduce excess tension on these muscles, relaxing them. Thus, low back pain can decrease after the application of this type of massage, as shown by some studies.
Reduces foot and leg pain
Like lower back pain, leg and foot pain during pregnancy is very common, especially during the last trimester.
Indeed, during pregnancy the flow of blood in the body increases and, in addition, weight gain causes veins and arteries to compress, affecting circulation. If we add the fluid retention typical of this stage and fatigue, it is normal for pregnant women to suffer from tired legs, even cramps.
To prevent this discomfort , it is advisable to maintain good hydration and walk, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, it is recommended to practice relaxation and stretching techniques for the muscles involved.
In this sense, prenatal massages are ideal to help reduce these discomforts: they seek relaxation in general and, in addition, that of the leg muscles.
Prenatal massage can reduce the risk of preterm labor
Depression and anxiety during pregnancy can be associated with a higher fetal activity rate and preterm birth. In this sense, since some studies have shown that prenatal massage can reduce cortisol levels, they are related to reduced levels of stress and anxiety and an improvement in depression.
In turn, fetal activity and the rate of preterm birth were reduced in women with depression who received prenatal massages. In addition, the benefits are not limited to the mother : newborns of mothers who had received prenatal massages also had lower levels of cortisol.
Precautions
Although its benefits are many and prenatal massages pose practically no health risk, there are certain cases in which they are contraindicated:
- In multiple or risk pregnancies
- In hypertensive pregnant women or with heart or blood clotting problems
- If there is vaginal bleeding or placental abruption
- If there is vomiting, fever or diarrhea
For all these reasons, when deciding to receive a prenatal massage, we must:
- Consult the doctor in relation to whether they are advisable for our specific case, what type of massage would be the most recommended and in what areas
- Always go to a masseur specialized in this type of massage. Only a specialist will be able to know how to perform the massage, in what areas, with what pressure and in what position.
