Hand Print Massage

A client recently asked an important question and I thought I would share it here as I’m asked it quite often.

“How often should I have a massage whilst pregnant?”  My simple answer is as often as you like.  The more complicated answer is this.

First Trimester: With approval of your health care provider, a massage once a month is great.  This is all depending on morning sickness and general wellness during this time.  If you have any reservations, discuss them with your midwife/obstetrician first.

Second Trimester: Every two weeks.  This is the time where you’re usually feeling better, starting to feel pregnant and starting to get the early twinges and aches as this is when you start to show and your posture changes to counter the extra size and weight of your belly.  Having a regular massage is a great way to counteract these.  An added benefit is you sleep better as well.

Third Trimester:  Weekly massages.  By now your posture has changed and you might have started to “waddle”.  Your feet may have swollen and your lower back may be very uncomfortable.  The weight of the uterus may be putting pressure on your sciatic nerve as well.  You might even just want a bit of TLC and to get out of the house.  Massaging at this stage will help to relieve the tight muscles and ease some of the discomfort.  The regular rhythmic motion of the massage can also help settle the wiggling baby so you can get more rest.

Post Birth:  With clearance of your health care provider you can have a massage as soon as the day after the birth of your baby.  This also depends on how comfortable you feel and if there were any complications arising from the birth.  Having a massage post birth will help your body recover from the stresses of labour and help with the new postures of baby care.  You may also like to take this time to learn basic baby massage.  As to the frequency, it’s entirely up to you.

I hope this helps answer this question.

Em.

Tags: baby massage, frequency of massage, post natal massage, pregnancy massage

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 8:41 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.