Receiving massage therapy during pregnancy is a wonderful choice for complementary natural health care. The dramatic physical and hormonal changes of pregnancy often cause discomfort, and massage therapy provides a gentle natural approach to addressing these discomforts and promoting overall well-being. Research shows that both mother and infant receive health benefits when regular massage therapy is integrated into prenatal care.
Massage has been known to calm many of the aches and pains associated with pregnancy such as sciatica, swelling, back and neck pain, and stomach upset. Prenatal massage has also been shown to improve physical discomforts by encouraging circulation and by stretching the muscles and joints to their full range of motion to improve skin elasticity and body tone.
In this series of video Athena demonstrates doing massage techniques on a pregnant woman. This video focuses on the upper body, chest above the breast and shoulders. Massage therapy can help with a number of medical conditions. This video focuses on the arms, legs and thighs but future videos in this series will include the face, feet, back, and upper chest above the breast. Includes tips on what massage oil to use on a pregnant woman.
Can All Pregnant Women Receive a Prenatal Massage?
Not all pregnant women should seek therapeutic massages during pregnancy, especially if they have one or more of the following conditions:- High-risk pregnancy- PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension)- Preeclampsia- Recent birth- Previous pre-term labor problems- Swelling is severe- High blood pressure- Severe headaches and/or migraines
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