Pregnancy Massage

Are you pregnant and looking for ways to relieve discomfort? Do you have a pregnant daughter or a friend who’s complaining of insomnia, stress, aches, swollen feet? Perhaps you’re the partner of someone carrying your baby, and you are trying to find a way to help. Let’s discuss pregnancy massage! There is so much information, some of it conflicting, so it’s really helpful to lay out the need-to-know stuff.

Pregnancy vs Normal Massage – what’s the difference?!


Pregnancy doesn’t make you fragile, or a delicate flower petal that can’t be touched. For the most part, you can still stand, work, and go about business as usual for the full three trimesters. Your baby is secure inside, and doing “normal” things doesn’t tend to effect bub. Touching you isn’t touching the baby. On the other hand, your body is undergoing enormous changes, and there are certainly some uncomfortable side-effects to pregnancy. These side-effects are largely what massage therapists take into consideration when approaching your treatment.


A “normal” massage (not pregnant) is fairly straightforward. Your therapist needs to take your medical history, understand your pain complaints and/or reason for wanting a massage, determine the treatment plan, and away we go!

A pregnancy massage entails all of the above, but we also need to consider:



  1. How far along you are in your pregnancy,
  2. What position will be appropriate for your treatment,
  3. Are you showing any symptoms of DVT,
  4. Do you have any swelling (oedema),
  5. Do you need to have your doctor’s clearance before treatment,
  6. There are some acupressure points to be avoided.

Focus of pregnancy massage


There are countless reasons to have massage whether pregnant or not, but there are some common focus points with pregnancy massage.




Relaxation.

There’s a lot on your mind, and there’s a lot going on in your body. There’s a lot of planning and organizing to do. There are bosses to inform, announcements to make, parties to throw, nurseries to create, finances to get in order. You may be suffering with nausea, headaches, or fatigue. On top of all of this, insomnia kicks in. A relaxation massage is exactly what is needed!! It will help to empty out your mind, soothe your body, and hopefully find a good night’s sleep.



Lymphatic drainage.

During pregnancy, your blood volume increases around 50%. That’s a lot of extra fluid in your body! Although this is necessary and natural, it can create some issues. Sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome are common complaints, due to the increased pressure on the nerves. Swelling, particularly in hands and feet, is very common and can be uncomfortable. Also, although deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is uncommon in pregnant women, they do have higher risk of this than non-pregnant women. Massage therapy is wonderful for lymphatic drainage. This can reduce the swelling and fluid pooling, ease the painful pressure off nerves, and generally keep the tissues healthy. It also feels very soothing and relaxing, so that's a bonus!


Pain relief.

As with any massage, pain relief is right up there on the list of priorities. As your body adapts, your muscles do their best to keep up with added weight, a shift in your centre of gravity, and the ligaments loosening up to accommodate baby and the impending birth. The shoulders tend to round forward, the front of the neck starts to strain, the middle and lower back aches from the strain of supporting something heavy that wasn’t there a short time ago. There’s nothing like a massage for loosening it all up.

Can you still get a deep tissue massage?


Deep tissue work and trigger point therapy is often frowned upon during pregnancy, and it can be frustrating to be denied any sort of satisfying pressure, especially if you’re used to liking a nice firm massage. A lot of therapists firmly believe that this sort of massage could be harmful, and a lot of therapists don’t necessarily believe this but don’t want to be held responsible for an early labour or a miscarriage. So what IS it that everyone is worried about??


Acupressure Points.


Acupressure is a therapy based on the same philosophy as acupuncture. As the titles suggest, acupuncture is puncturing the skin with needles, and acupressure is applying pressure with the fingers and hands. Acupressure/Acupuncture Points are found all throughout the body along the meridian lines of the body, which are the lines along which the energy or “Qi” flows. Each point is specific to different organs or areas of the body, and when stimulated is thought to positively affect the energy for that area. There are several points that are believed to induce labour, and these are found in the lower back/gluteal region, hands, feet, and the upper trapezius.


It is these acupressure points that therapists aim to avoid. Unfortunately, the areas where you most feel you need massage when you’re pregnant are around these points. This is really good to know before you go for your massage, because the worst thing is to feel disappointed during your treatment. If you know what to expect, if you understand that most therapists will tread very carefully around these areas, you will be much more likely to relax and just go with it. Regardless of pressure and trigger points, you should still reap the benefits of lymphatic draining, circulation, and relaxation.

Can you have massage in the first trimester?


Yes! There are many therapists who prefer not to treat in the first trimester, and this is because it’s the most common trimester to miscarry. Properly administered massage cannot cause a miscarriage. But it’s true that when someone goes through such grief, they look for reasons why it happened, and want something or someone to blame. However, I’m very confident that massage therapy has a positive effect on health, and just as pregnancy is natural, so is touch. Massage is a gentle therapy, and our species would never have thrived if we were so fragile, we actually can withstand a lot.


The second and third trimesters are ideal for massage. This is when the insomnia, aches, swelling etc all hits, and you really reap the benefits of keeping up regular sessions.

What to expect


During your first trimester, which is 13 weeks, you can probably still lie on your stomach and back quite comfortably, and your massage can proceed similarly to whatever you’re used to. Of course, certain treatments like acupuncture, acupressure, trigger point therapy, cupping etc may be avoided at your therapist’s discretion.


During your second and third trimester you will either be lying on your side with lots of pillows, or you’ll be on a special table that has a bump-shaped hole for your growing belly. You will have very limited time on your back, if any. From experience, I can say that side-lying is actually really comfortable, and I think it even helps with relaxation because you are in your usual sleeping position. You would spend half the session on one side, and then roll over, pillows and all, to have the other side treated.


If you’re super fancy, you can even get a massage therapist for your birthing. There are believed to be acupressure points that relieve labour pain, and encourage contractions. Again from experience, I am 100% confident that having my lower back rubbed vigorously during contractions helped me through my births. If you have someone awesome (doesn’t have to be a professional!) to stay by your side and rub your back, you will be just fine when the day comes. For the 9-month journey before birthing day, massage will be immensely beneficial to your comfort and wellbeing. Give it a go and find out for yourself!