Recently I was asked to give a talk about the benefits of Pregnancy massage.  This is a subject that is very near to my heart because a) I rank motherhood as one of the world’s hardest jobs, and b) I recall how my own mother did not receive the emotional and physical support during her pregnancy with yours truly.  So you could say that whenever I am in the presence of treating an expectant mother, it’s homage to my own mum. 

Pregnancy massage takes two forms: ante-natal and postpartum rejuvenation.  This type of therapeutic massage is designed to optimise pregnancy and the woman and foetus’s health and wellbeing, thereby minimising knock-on physical and developmental effects that effect mother and child later on in their lives.

Had my mother received therapeutic massage during her pregnancy, her bodily pains, tiredness, constipation, and circulation would have been sorted out.  She would have received nurturing emotional support and reassurance, which is ever so important when one’s hormones are fluctuating, causing mood swings.  The massage would have relaxed her in order to endure childbirth.  Due to her anxious state, she struggled with thirty hours of labour before the doctors said, “Hmm, let’s do a Caesarean.”  After her operation, she had not the strength to care for me, but was nonetheless expected to perform and be on her feet.  Postpartum massage would have quickened her body’s healing, boosted her energy levels, soothed frayed nerves, and promoted tranquil sleep. 

In this age, when women are putting off pregnancy until later, ante-natal massage is necessary for promoting blood circulation, and ridding chronic physiological issues that can hamper even the healthiest pregnancy.  Ante-natal massage physically and emotionally helps women who are in high-risk pregnancies or have suffered miscarriages.  This continuous care ensures proper blood volume and stable hormone levels, so that the foetus will receive nutrients critical to its development.   For example, I worked with a client who had oedema of the wrists and a fibroid located inside her uterus.  It was her first pregnancy, and she was fearful.  With careful physician’s monitoring of her fibroid growth, my massage helped her feel less bodily discomfort whilst boosting her circulation and energy.  On a hormonal level, ante-natal massage smoothed out her anxiety by boosting the body’s natural happy hormones.  It is always given after the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy.

Studies have shown that mothers who receive massage during pregnancy are more likely to give their babies massages, thereby nurturing their bond and promoting the child’s development.  Babies born from less-stressed mothers are calmer, less fussy, and perform better on infant development. 

In Western medicine, little care is given to the mother’s body after childbirth.  In this missing link lies a very critical stage for the mother, who is now responsible for a newborn and having to be on alert and on her feet for her baby’s every need.  There is little to no recovery time, and the pelvic floor muscles are weakened.  In Ayurvedic tradition, the woman has the right to forty days of massage.  Postpartum rejuvenation massage is critical for alleviating musculoskeletal complaints, providing emotional support, and reorienting the new mother back towards her body.  The skin of the abdomen can be treated immediately after birth to minimise distortion of the connective tissue that often follows after pregnancy.  Last but not least, postpartum massage helps in preventing or recovering from postpartum depression.

With cellular development happening at such a rapid rate with a foetus, my pregnancy massage seeks to provide continuous care to mother and child, enabling both to receive the best for their health and growth.  Women need not face pregnancy alone or with anxiety, and stress-free mothers give birth to healthier babies, feeling more able, fitter, and calmer as they take on one of life’s most profound journeys.