FAQ: Pregnancy Massage
Pregnancy massage addresses the profound changes a woman’s body goes through during the entire childbearing year. During the first months, massage can help her body balance changing hormones, which often causes morning sickness. During the mid-months, pregnancy massage addresses the upper and lower back pain that sets in due to the weight of the new baby. At the end of pregnancy, massage can relieve swollen feet and hands, numbness, hip and sciatic pain. Pregnancy massage is also intended for the three months after the delivery to help the new mother regain abdominal strength, assist organs to drop back into place, and to offer a short respite from the new duties of motherhood and caring for an infant. Only therapists that are specially certified for Pregnancy Massage perform these treatments.
Other conditions helped by Pregnancy massage: Carpal Tunnel Wrist Pain, Round-Ligament Pain, Calf Cramps, Abdominal Tightness, Headaches and Edema.
Yes. Unlike Franchise salons that require only 3-hour training certificate for Prenatal Massage, Dynamic Touch therapists have a special 5-day certification, which teaches how to address the specific needs of a pregnant woman including Deep Tissue, and Hip Pain, Back Pain, Carpal Tunnel Wrist Pain and Round Ligament Pain. Before the massage, your therapist will take a complete history to ensure that the massage is safe. For mothers that have complications, your therapist may request your doctor’s approval for extra assurance of comfort and safety before your first session.
The mother-to-be is always carefully supported in several positions. Most pregnant clients are comfortable lying face up and face down until about 16 weeks. After that, when lying face-up, she is supported with the back lifted, called “Semi-Reclining” position. This is to provide comfort and maximum circulation to the legs and the fetus. In place of lying face down, we use a side-lying position. While in a side-lying position, special pregnancy pillows support the stomach and leg, which allows the therapists to massage the back and hips. The belly is NEVER compressed by lying face down, nor is the belly left hanging through a hole in the massage table. These methods are less than ideal for the mother’s body and for fetal circulation.
Your therapist will interview you carefully to ensure that massage is safe at this time. In some cases, massage is not appropriate (for example, toxemia). If you have any doubts whether massage is beneficial to you, give us a call to talk about it. Your therapist may recommend that you receive your doctor’s clearance before your appointment. In-home pregnancy massage is available in some Orange County Locations. HOAG hospital Ante-Partum department has referred their mothers in the hospital on bedrest to Dynamic Touch for over 5 years. Contact us for details, travel fee may apply.
Yes! Pregnancy massage is intended for the entire “childbearing year”. During the first months, massage is avoided on the abdominal area entirely. But you can still lie on your back and stomach before the “bump” gets too big. In the last weeks and days before delivery, there is nothing better than the relief that massage can give to help you escape the “burden of the Belly” for a while. Our nurturing touch will address each of your aches and pains one by one leaving you feeling refreshed and ready for the big event ahead! We’ve massaged mammas the day they delivered! They raved about how they were able to stay relaxed through the whole birth experience.
Note: You may have heard that you “shouldn’t have massage during the first trimester”. This is not a physical limitation related to pregnancy, rather it is a “company policy” because some Salons are not comfortable working with women in their first trimester due to the normal risk of miscarriage during that time. Corporations always try to “manage risk”. We’re not Corporate. We are Trained. We care.
Yes… and No! There are Reflexology Acupressure Points that relate to the uterus. They are VERY small, VERY specific, and have to be pressed on VERY hard to have any effect. Theoretically, if these points are overstimulated they could cause the uterus to contract and labor to begin. But a light foot massage during pregnancy will NOT begin premature labor, and is completely safe.