Prenatal massage can provide welcome relief to a growing pregnant body. Massage can offer many benefits, including reduced back and leg pain and improved mood. If you’re pregnant and considering prenatal massage to address your ache and pains, there are a few things to consider before you hop on the table.
Benefits of Prenatal Massage:
- Improves mood: Prenatal massage has been demonstrated to improve mood in pregnant women, and may even be effective as a natural remedy for mild anxiety and depression. If you’re feeling any symptoms of anxiety and depression, however, be sure to reach out to your healthcare provider to make sure you’re doing all you can to manage those symptoms during and after pregnancy.
- Lessens discomfort: The benefits of massage in the general population are fairly well known, and many of those same concepts absolutely apply to pregnancy as well. Prenatal massage can help improve back pain, sciatic nerve pain, and other aches and pains that are extremely common during pregnancy as the body shifts and grows.
- Shifts hormonal balance: Prenatal massage can contribute to reduced levels of epinephrine and cortisol, two of the major stress hormones, which is a positive shift for both mom and baby. Massage can also improve levels of serotonin and dopamine in the blood, which are associated with a positive mood. The benefits of these subtle hormonal shifts may be extensive, including quality of life for mom, mental and physical health for baby, and may even improve the quality of relationships between parents […]