Massage therapy during pregnancy has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety and depression thereby enhancing blood flow and decreasing back and leg pain. Generally, massage should be performed by a therapist or a partner in a 20-minute session at least twice a week. The therapy should run from five weeks to 16 weeks until the pregnancy is full term. Therefore, if you are expecting your first baby, here are some reasons to get a massage therapy:
Blood Circulation -- During pregnancy, blood should circulate freely from a mother to the unborn child. However, most women might face difficulties with circulation since the baby also requires blood for rapid growth. Therefore, as less and less blood reaches body organs, they might start to be compromised. Consequently, regular massage therapy is advised to relax blood vessels and eliminate any blockage that prevents blood from reaching vital organs. Furthermore, a common occurrence in pregnant women is inflammation and swelling of legs and feet. Massage minimizes the swelling thereby enabling women to perform simple chores without mobility challenges.
Reduced Anxiety and Depression -- First-time pregnant women are susceptible to depression and anxiety due to a myriad of factors including hormonal imbalance and extreme stress. Such conditions can cause self-harm in pregnant women and subsequently affect the health and well-being of the unborn baby. Notably, prenatal massage therapy is ideal for soothing the body and mind. The massage therapy triggers hormones known as endorphins, which reduce anxiety, and thus, lessen prenatal complications. If mothers are less depressed during pregnancy, they are more likely to bond well with their infants.
Pain Alleviation -- During labor, mothers experience a great deal of pain that is caused by muscular dilation. Massaging the back and legs, which are often the areas that manifest much of the pain, reduces the discomfort and diminishes the use of pain medication during labor. Furthermore, massaging has been demonstrated to shorten the labor period by at least three hours. When massaging, pressure messages reach the brain faster compared to pain messages; hence, causing a numbing effect.
Enhanced Digestion -- During pregnancy, women release many hormones among them progesterone, which lead to indigestion in the form of bloating, constipation, heartburn, and constipation. Pregnant women experience excessive belching and burping, which are symptoms of digestion problems. Poor digestion of food creates gases that accumulate in the intestinal tract. Massage therapies, through a kneading effect, cause the muscles to relax thereby enabling proper food digestion and minimal indigestion.
Contact a women's health physio clinic for more information and assistance.
Share26 October 2017
Before I had my kids, I pictured that I would be much more relaxed staying at home and looking after my kids. I thought that the shoulder twinges and neck strains from sitting at a desk would go away, but little did I know they'd be quickly replaced by lower back pain from leaning over cleaning up and hip pains from carrying kids all day long - let alone recovering from birth. These days I have done a lot of research on how to look after my body and mind with massage treatments, which I collect on this site to share with other new mums.