What is the pregnancy massage?
A massage for the expecting mother focused on alleviating the aches and pains associated with pregnancy. This massage is performed on a specialty pregnancy pillow that will allow the client to lay face down safely or on their side throughout the duration of the massage. The client’s comfort will be verified and all contraindicated points during pregnancy will be avoided to ensure a safe and relaxing massage session.
Throughout the pregnancy process, the body is constantly changing, the pelvis is shifting and the muscles along with it. The expecting mother’s center of gravity is shifting and in order to adapt to that change, the woman has to alter the way she walks and stands. This changes the original resting position of the muscles causing them to rest in stretched and taut sometimes creating aching throbbing muscles.
In my experience as a massage therapist the “hot spots” on pregnant women who come into my office are:
- Lower back
- Hips
- Gluteal muscles
- Feet
- Neck and shoulders
- Wrists
Contraindications
This is a term that means an area that should not be stimulated. There are points of pregnant women that should not be massaged. Specific areas on the ankles, the sacrum, the neck and hands just to name a few. Your massage therapist should be well versed in these areas in order to deliver a relaxing and safe massage for the expecting mother.