Prenatal Massage for Pregnant Women ~ OK Top Ten

Friday, January 4, 2013

Prenatal Massage for Pregnant Women

Prenatal massage is a massage for pregnant women with the purpose to relax muscles and ease body pain and ache.Massage for pregnant women is a therapy that helps women in mobility and circulation of blood. The changing body of a woman also requires therapy and assistance to ease the changes and lighten up the body.

Massage therapists are specialists in prenatal massage. They are well trained individuals and are fully aware of the techniques used to relax muscles. For a prenatal massage, you need to lie face down on a massage table. It is difficult to lie face down once you are pregnant, especially when your belly and breasts start to swell it becomes impossible and is not recommended at all. At the same time, lying down flat on your back also places weight on your uterus and is highly discouraged. It is therefore advisable to lie on your side with a pillow for support.

Some massage therapists have special massage pads for pregnant women which enable you to lie face down. These therapists are experts in their field but if you are feeling any discomfort during the massage or because of your position, do not hesitate to tell your therapist. During a prenatal massage, your feedback can be very beneficial for your trained therapist. Normally, they know which muscles to relax, where to give extra attention and where no to. There are multiple massage techniques and your feedback will help the therapist to customize the massage based on your body requirements. Massage for pregnant women usually involves less pressure.

Massage improves blood circulation, helps you have a better sleep, decreases body pain, improves your mood and relieves the overall stress level. Therapists use massage oils during prenatal massage. Make sure the oil suits you and you do not get any allergic reaction. During pregnancy, you should avoid hot bath tubs, saunas and heat chambers. Your body temperature should not heat during pregnancy since this can cause problems for you and the baby.

Prenatal massage eases back pain. If you are not suffering from back pain during early months of pregnancy, a prenatal massage can help prevent back pain. Back pain is very common during pregnancy. It’s just like carrying extra weight which puts stress on your back, neck, shoulders and abdominal muscles. Later stages in pregnancy can lead to lower back pain and leg pain. The circulation of blood to the legs is reduced during pregnancy. While performing a leg massage, the strokes should be very light and the direction should move towards the heart and not the other way. Improved circulation in legs prevents hemorrhaging.

Prenatal massage can be a little expensive. If you wish to give a massage to yourself or wish your partner to give you a massage, make sure you both watch some massage videos and learn the basic techniques. It is advisable that you seek assistance from an expert since working on the wrong muscles can aggravate or cause pain that you don’t already have.

Friday, January 4, 2013