PREGNANCY MASSAGE
PREGNANCY MASSAGE
Massage is adapted to each stage of pregnancy. We use a special pregnancy pillow as support and not a pregnancy massage table. I am a firm believer that the best and healthiest way is the pillow technique . Massage helps to relieve tension in the back and alleviating swelling in the hands and feet,
while easing the mind. We also only 100% pure organic coconut oil, with no essential oils especially important in the first trimester. A true luxury and necessity during your pregnancy. You will love every minute. You deserve it.
“One of the most common questions I get about pregnancy massage is whether I use one of those fancy tables where you get to lie on your belly even if you’re 42 weeks pregnant.”
My short answer is no.
Although when you’re pregnant it seems like a miracle to be able to lie face-down, those so-called pregnancy massage tables ultimately do not serve you well, and can actually cause injury to your body or even your baby.
My reasons have to do with the mechanics of the spine and abdomen. Pregnancy massage tables are only able to be customized to a certain degree, which means you will likely be lying over a hole that’s too wide, too narrow, too deep or too shallow for your body at any given stage in your pregnancy. Essentially, while lying face-down, there are two situations:
1. The gap is loose and does not apply pressure on your belly, but the weight of your uterus will be pulling your abdomen into the hole, increasing the curve of your lumbar spine and adding to the stress on your sacral and uterine ligaments. This effect is increased even further if a massage therapist were to press down, working the muscles of your lower back. Pregnancy already creates a tendency toward increased spinal curvature and ligament tension; this is quite likely one reason you’d like a massage right now, and I would much rather help alleviate that discomfort, instead of compounding it.
2. Your belly and spine are well supported, but the trade-off is that the weight of your body and any added pressure from a massage therapist’s hands are translated directly into compressing your abdomen and uterus.
These concerns also apply to the cut-outs provided for your enlarged and tender chest, which is likely not to appreciate either compression or dangling.
There is one thing the pregnancy massage table does well: it allows therapists to perform the same massage for prenatal clients that they do for non-pregnant clients, instead of recognizing the importance of learning a specialized treatment plan and advanced skills. Anyone using the table can imagine themselves a prenatal “specialist,” regardless of training or experience, an instance of a little information being dangerous. I strongly advocate for pregnant clients to see actual therapist who has been properly trained in Pregnancy massage. . The art and science of pregnancy massage involves a lot more than just figuring out how to maneuver around your growing belly.
PREGNANCY MASSAGE POSITIONING
For these reasons, I do my 2nd and 3rd trimester massages in the sidelying position on my extra-wide massage table. I use a curved shaped pregnancy pillow and if needed several other pillows of shapes to support the healthy alignment of your spine and pelvis. As your pregnancy progresses, we might also add a small pillow underneath your belly to support against gravity and reduce rolling forward.
Sidelying allows me to work your lower back without risk of increasing uterine pressure; it also provides perfect access to your quadratus lumborum and other muscles commonly stressed in pregnancy. The added benefit of doing massages this way is that together we will learn exactly which pillows go where to make you the most comfortable, and you can then try a similar setup at night to help you sleep more comfortably. (Hint: most folks aren’t using enough pillows to get their knee and hip high enough. We’re looking for all three joints to be about the same height–when your knee is lower, it can twist and add pressure in your hip, sacrum, or lower back. Of course, individual bodies vary, but it’s a good guideline to start with.)