Prenatal Massage

Therapeutic massage therapy has been used for centuries to improve health and wellness all over the world. For everything from stress relief, chronic pain, and muscle tension to alleviating stress on joints, treating acute or chronic sprains and strains, as well as an overall sense of improved health. Prenatal massage therapy specifically focuses on the mother-to-be's changing body, and helping her feel more comfortable in it. It helps to enhance muscle and joint function, decrease swelling in various areas including feet, and provides a time of relaxation for the mother in an otherwise busy world.

Here is a list of just some of the things that massage therapy can affect and help enhance during pregnancy, and how it affects the mother-to-be:

1. Reduction of Swelling: Massage therapy has a direct relationship with the lymphatic system in your body. This means that a therapist can literally "drain" swelling away (so-to-speak). Whether the swelling is in your feet, hands, or face, a massage therapist  can help to eliminate at least a portion of the excess fluid built up in various areas. Keep in mind that every body responds differently, so relief can be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days, and for some up to weeks. However, any amount of time where you can fit your foot into your favourite shoe, can be a bonus for an expectant mother.

2. Alleviating Stress on Weight Bearing Joints:  Through joint play, and various on-table positions, as well as muscle work, your back, hips, knees and ankles can all feel some amount of relief.

3. Relief for  Muscular Dysfunction: Calf cramps, back aches, tension and knots, carpal tunnel, foot cramps, neck pain, shoulder aches and so on...

4. Shortness of Breath: Through work with a mother's diaphragm, a massage therapist can help a mother to breathe easier. Whether breathing is affected by knots in the diaphragm or just shortness of the muscles, from a specific cause, or just baby kicking, there is a definite affect on ability to breathe.

5. Decreasing Pain on the sides of the "Baby Belly": Through fascial work, a massage therapist can help to provide length to a woman's sides and create more room for baby to grow. This helps decrease pain brought on by growth and stretching of the sides, though it doesn't eliminate it completely.

6. Some Hormone Regulation: Many studies over the past decade have shown that hormones related to relaxation and stress have been significantly altered with massage therapy to lead to improved mood and cardiovascular health.

7. Many more such as: helping to increase blood and lymph flow which can affect fatigue, strengthen immune system, releases endorphins, eases stress, helps positively affect mother's anxiety or depression, relief from constipation, improve digestion, reduces the amount of "stretch marks" by improving elasticity and so much more!

Things to consider: Please be aware of body position and inform your RMT of any complications you may be experiencing or are being monitored for. Your RMT should be aware of the correct body position for you, but if it feels uncomfortable or is something you have been told to avoid, please speak up and do not stay in that position. You are in control of your own treatment!

Remember! If you feel good, your baby will too!

Email or call to book your appointment today!
seana.rmt@gmail.com, 705-875-1673