Pregnancy is the period when a lot hormone changes take place. This effect in shown in body with a lot of discomfort and pain in particular areas of the body such as hips, stomach, breast etc. Continued with labor, all it seems to be carrying mother’s nightmare.

However, the labor could make easy by pregnancy massage. It affects your body in a multitude of ways. Below are just some of the ways massage can help you adjust to your new changes and feel great:

Bodywork during pregnancy helps:

• Reduce stress, promote relaxation, facilitate transitions through emotional support and physical nurturing
• Reduce edema and blood pressure, relieve varicose veins, and increase blood and lymph circulation
• Relieve stress on weight-bearing joints (ankles, low back, pelvis)

Labor Support Massage helps:

• Length of labor reduced by 25%
• Oxytocin (Pitocin) use reduced by 40%
• Use of narcotics reduced by 30%
• Forceps reduced by 30%
• Epidurals reduced by 60%

Postpartum Massage helps:

• Improve breastfeeding
• Reduce musculoskeletal tension and pain
• Increase time spent with baby
• Decrease postpartum depression
• Promote recovery from cesarean birth, including healing of the incision
• Contribute to rehabilitation of abdominal skin, muscles and organs
• Facilitate postpartum emotional, physiological, and family adjustments
• Promote structural realignment of the spine and pelvis, and reorganization of movement

Recent medical journals have published positive results from massage therapy during pregnancy. The results tell it all:

• Reduced anxiety and improved mood
• Better sleep
• Less back pain
• Reduced norepinephrine levels (stress hormones)
• Fewer complications in labor

Precautions
Many massage therapists do not recommend massage in the first trimester.
Also, women with certain health conditions may not be able to have pregnancy massage.
It’s best to consult your doctor and a certified pregnancy massage therapist.

In addition, one of the most exciting findings shows that women massaged during pregnancy had babies with fewer postnatal complications and a lower rate of prematurity. Scientific fact behind what your intuition already new: a healthy mom who takes care of herself is better equipped to care for a child, even in utero.

Tags: pregnancy massage, pregnancy massage video

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