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Pregnancy Massage during the First Trimester

Getting a massage is a blissful journey. This is one luxury, which anyone would love to indulge in. We all have been living a life so stressful, fast, and tiring – both mentally and physically. A back massage from the shoulders, all the way to the spinal cord, until the hips. Don’t you feel it? But before we get diverted by the written pleasure, let us not forget the topic we are going to discuss today. Are massages safe during pregnancy? A lot of pregnant women have this one question in their minds, which has most of the time remained unanswered.

Pregnancy Massage during the First TrimesterI have been doing my research through it since I have stepped into my second trimester. I have been reading a lot about it. Along with it I also consulted my doctor for the same. Since this is my second child and my age have had a huge effect on the same. Therefore, I take extra precautions on my end to be careful with my health and the health of the child as well.

So, when it came to massages, I thought of taking those only after I am completely sure about it. So, I did my research on various things – from when should I take my massage, what should be avoided, are there any benefits of taking massage and one of the major questions, is it safe to take massages during pregnancy? So, to avoid the research on your end I would like to share my research with you along with my experience for the same. So, here we go!

Let us begin with the basic question:

What is Pregnancy Massage?

A pregnancy massage is also known as the parental or the postnatal massage. It is a term used for a hands-on massage taken during or after the pregnancy. The massage would usually last for an hour for a forty-five-minute session. There are professionals associated with the pregnancy massage and they use a massage table, this is no usual massage table. This table is designed in a way to accommodate the pregnancy belly of a woman. Along with the table, there are specially designed pillows with are called as the bolsters. This helps the pregnant woman to comfortable adjust on the pillow on her side. This is mostly helpful in the later stages of pregnancy that id posts the first trimester.

When should you not consider getting a pregnancy massage? 

There will be several articles that say that a woman should get the message anytime, or some may tell you to get it done during the third trimester, so on and so forth. It is alright to get a massage during pregnancy, what you do not get this when you should not consider getting one. However, what I have got to know is that there should be two typical scenarios when a woman expecting a child should think very carefully to get a pregnancy massage. There are the following:

  1. The first trimester:

There are reports which tell that women are most at risk in their first trimester to get a massage. Several massage therapists say a vehement no to their clients in their first trimester. There are risks of miscarriage, or induced labor during the first pregnancy massage in first trimestertrimester if opted for a pregnancy massage. Some of the massage therapists are most considerate of the high blood flow during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Secondly, there are certain pressure points. How are we even not mentioning pressure points when discussing the massage. There are pressure points, which are almost certain to initiate contractions. If you have a doctor’s prescription, they might still consider a parental massage during the first trimester. Most likely they refuse to give a pregnancy massage during the first trimester.

  1. Medical conditions also relate to pregnancy massage:

We all know the basic logic behind massage – it is the circulatory system. Their circulatory system is the one that engages the blood flow in the body. These could affect ladies with medical conditions and harm health conditions. So, the following are the issues where you must consider your doctor before divulging yourself into a pregnancy massage. Of course, the doctor will let you know, however, you should still consider asking them on a personal level.

  • High Blood pressure issues
  • Pregnancy risk concerns such as congenital heart disease
  • Any recent injury or surgery
  • An organ transplants

The benefits of Pregnancy Massage:

There are very fewer studies and research made which primarily focus on pregnancy massage. There are no “affirmative” benefits stated. However, there are still few studies which show multiple benefits for the pregnancy massage, which are:

  • A lower level of anxiety
  • A decrease in back and leg pain
  • Improved sleep cycle
  • Decreased level of stress hormones
  • Reduced muscle tensions and headaches
  • Reduced edema

Additional benefits that some other studies show are as follows:

  • An increase in the level of “feel good” hormones
  • Decreased levels of stress indicators
  • An overall mood lifter
  • Improvement of nerve pain
  • Improved circulation

Is it safe to consider pregnancy massage?

There are a lot of doctors who hesitate to recommend parental massage during pregnancy. There are a lot of reasons that follow up for hesitation. One of the basic reasons being the trainer who does the massage. There are very few professionals who lack certification of pregnancy massage or have a different technique. Therefore, during such scenarios where it is difficult to prove the certification the parental massage isn’t safe. It is all about the techniques.

We all are aware that any regular massage, even a basic one is all about the nerves and muscles, and pressure points. One wrong pressure and the massage could be fatal. Therefore, when pregnant the ladies have to be far more careful in choosing their professionals.

Secondly, as mentioned above there have been very few studies about the pregnancy massage. One of the major debates that are still prevalent of whether it is safe to get a massage during the first trimester. Therefore, it is very important to consult a doctor for the same and find a practitioner who has a certificate for the same.

This was my take on pregnancy massages; however, I have started pregnancy massage during my second trimester, avoiding it completely during the first trimester. I would surely let you know an updated version related to my experience.