Pregnancy is an exciting time for soon-to-be mothers. But it can also be stressful and scary as you navigate changes in your life and body.
As your body changes, pregnancy massage can play an important role in helping you enjoy your pregnancy, prepare for childbirth and recover well afterwards. Especially for first time mothers, massage can provide nurturing, comfort, relaxation, and a time to connect and bond with your new baby.
Benefits of massage for pregnant women
Massage has many benefits for everyone – it can increase energy levels, relieve musculoskeletal pain and generally promote wellbeing. But for pregnant women, there are specific benefits you can enjoy.
Relieve muscular tension
Pregnancy can lead to poor posture due to a change in the centre of gravity, hypermobility as well as greater stress placed on weight bearing bones and joints. All of this can result in muscular tension, which in turn can cause tension headaches, sciatica, low back pain, cramping legs and symphysis pubis symptoms. Massage can help to relieve that tension and the accompanying issues.
Enhance circulation
Pregnancy can put stress on the heart and circulatory system as blood volume increases to nourish the growing baby. By promoting better circulation, massage can help with a range of conditions including varicose veins, haemorrhoids, blood pressure irregularity, oedema (swelling) and heart palpitations. It also promotes greater oxygen and nutrients being delivered to all body tissues for both mother and foetus, while waste products and toxins are removed quicker.
Maintain flexibility and balance
An increase in the hormone Relaxin and the growing baby shifting your centre of gravity mean you’ll probably see a lot of changes in your flexibility and balance during pregnancy. Regular massage can help maintain flexibility in the tendons, ligaments, muscles and fascia of the joints, aiding balance.
Promote mental wellness and good sleep
Massage balances the autonomic nervous system, which controls our parasympathetic (rest and digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight) responses. It also relaxes muscles and provides the feeling of a safe and nurturing environment. This helps towards reducing postpartum fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, depression and insomnia. (Field 2010 & Hall et al. 2020)
Soothe skin discomfort
As your body changes, your skin must stretch to accommodate your growing baby. Massage with carefully chosen creams, oils or lotions can help soothe dry, itchy skin and prevent or lessen stretch marks.
Aid digestion
An increase in the hormone progesterone causes muscle relaxation and often slows down the digestive system. This is the cause of many common complaints such as morning sickness, reflux, heartburn and constipation. As your uterus grows, it can also place pressure on parts of the digestive tract, causing discomfort and even blockages. (Freeborn et al. 2024). Massage can aid digestion and reduce digestive complaints by stimulating movement of food through the digestive tract.
Improve post-partum experience
When your pregnancy ends and you give birth, that doesn’t mean everything suddenly goes back to normal! Postnatal massage can assist in the letdown reflex of lactation and muscle recovery following birth. It can also be an important element for easing any trauma of the pregnancy and birthing journey (Field 2010), restoring dignity within the mother, and strengthening the bond between the mother and the newborn baby.
Case study from the expert
Our massage therapist Roxana knows the benefits of massage during pregnancy first-hand!
Roxana is a mother of one, who enjoyed fortnightly massages during pregnancy and had a normal low risk pregnancy at age 39. She received acupressure and massage during her labour as one of many pain-relieving strategies. She had a natural birth without the use of painkillers and experienced no major complications.
Book an appointment with our experienced massage therapist today to start feeling the benefits of massage during your pregnancy.
Sources:
Armstrong F., Pregnancy Massage Course learner notes, Essential Health Massage Training, Balgowlah, 2024
Field T., Pregnancy and labor massage, Expert Rev Obstet Gynecol, 2010
Hall HG, Cant R, Munk N, Carr B, Tremayne A, Weller C, Fogarty S, Lauche R, The effectiveness of massage for reducing pregnant women's anxiety and depression; systematic review and meta-analysis, Midwifery, 2020
Mueller SM, Grunwald M., Effects, Side Effects and Contraindications of Relaxation Massage during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials, Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2021
Freeborn D, Trevino HM, Irina Burd I., Pregnancy: How Your Digestion Changes, University of Rochester Medical Center Health Encyclopedia, 2024
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