For example, mothers can take advantage of the Health Benefits of Bananas in Pregnancy and the Health Benefits of Eating Dates in Pregnancy. Besides the effort in improving nutrition quality in pregnant mother, there are also some physical treatments believed to be beneficial for pregnancy such the benefits of pregnancy massage for health and labor process.
Pregnancy massage or antenatal massage is a hand-on massage done by practitioners who excellently accommodate pregnant mother’s body and condition with special care and instrument. The mother usually lies on a special massage table with bolsters to keep the mother in comfortable position. The massaging session usually takes about an hour, and after that the mother will be able to have the benefits of pregnancy massage.
The Benefits of Pregnancy Massage
There are some researches reveal the benefits of pregnancy massage, such the research from University of Miami School of medicine in America. Besides, the empirical study also support the fact the pregnancy massage is beneficial for the health of pregnant mother and the fetus. Here are the benefits of pregnancy massage:
Pregnancy massage is known to be able in improving hormonal activities. In this case, the massage can give relaxing and pleasant effect to the mother while reducing the production of cortisol hormone. Cortisol hormone is the hormone plays significant role in improving stress level. Therefore having pregnancy massage let the mother to alleviate stress related to their pregnancy and the other problems in life.
Mood swings is a common condition in pregnant mother. In this case, pregnancy massage is able to offer the remedy for the bad mood day as the massage is able to improve the production of happiness hormone such serotonin and dopamine. Besides massage, mothers can also supply themselves with beneficial intake to lift their mood by gaining the Health Benefits of Strawberry Juice in Pregnancy.
The pregnancy massage will give such a relaxing effect for the mothers. This way, mother may have the anxiety reduced. As we know, prior the labor, there will be anxiety, nervousness, and free floating concern inside the mother’s head.
The benefits of pregnancy massage in giving such relaxing effect to the mother may also contribute to the ability of pregnancy massage to improve sleep quality. Sleeping disorder in pregnant women is common as they may feel some discomfort and muscle tension which inhibit the women to have proper sleep. In this case, pregnancy massage is recommended.
By having massage, the mother will have more time to rest and do pleasant thing. The massage will also improve the sleep quality. This way, it is possible for the mother to have their energy recharged.
Many women in late pregnancy experience sciatic nerve pain as the uterus rest on pelvic floor and lower back. The improved pressure on the area will gradually improves the pain on muscles of the upper and lower leg, also the lower back. In this case, pregnancy massage is able to effectively relieve the pain.
The swelling in pregnancy mainly contributed to the reduced circulation of fluid and increased pressure on the major blood vessels by heavy uterus. As the result, there will be some swollen body parts, especially the legs. In this case, pregnancy massage helps stimulates soft tissue to reduce the stack of fluid and improve the removal of tissue waste which effectively reduce swelling.
A research revealed that pregnancy massage is able to improve the progression of labor. It is possible since the more relaxed mother will be the lesser risk of the labor and birth process for both mother and baby.
The other benefits of pregnancy massage are:
Despite the benefits of pregnancy massage, there are some situations and conditions of which pregnant mother should avoid pregnancy massage such as:
To gain the benefits of pregnancy massage, the pregnant mother should make sure that she comes to the right place. The right place means a place with competent and certified therapist and supporting facilities. The certified therapist would have received training beyond the standard of pregnancy massage therapy, thus the therapist is able to give the proper care to the mother.
The therapist should aware of how the mother feel the most comfort while preventing uterine ligament strain during the massaging session, able to identify blood clots and varicose veins, the common symptoms in pregnant mothers. The therapist should also be occupied by supporting equipment such bolstered massage table specially designed for pregnant mother.
There are some recommended techniques for pregnancy massage. The first is Swedish massage. As we know, the benefits Swedish based therapy has been widely apply in some holistic therapy including the Benefits of Reflexology Foot Massage for Health. The Swedish massage applies long strokes to muscles and pays more attention to joint mobility.
The other technique in pregnancy massage is known as shiatsu technique which applies pressure and tapping on some acupressure points. Shiatsu is also well-known for the Health Benefits of Acupressure Massage. Deep tissue massage is also applied for pregnancy massage as it is known with its firm strokes pressing deep into muscles. By choosing the most suitable technique for the body and health condition, the mother would be able in gaining the benefits of pregnancy massage.