What to Expect With Prenatal Massage Therapy

Video Transcript

" Hi! This is Tanya for Expert Village from Intuition Salon and Spa. The next kind of massage that we are going to be talking about is prenatal massage. The one thing that you can expect during prenatal massage is to not be lying on your back and very rarely you will be lying on your stomach. Some salons and some spas do have pregnancy pillows and that way you will be able to lay on your stomach and there is a small cut out for where your belly can rest. So just be aware that you will be getting a lot of the same massage as the Swedish massage when you are getting prenatal massage. The only difference is that you will have pillows to prop you up and so that way you are not lying flat on your back. There is an artery that runs right behind the belly and so that way if you are lying on your back, as you know being pregnant it is not very uncomfortable, and also it cuts off some blood flow and you will get dizzy. The other thing that you have to be cautious of is working on the feet. Some people say that there are trigger points on your feet that will induce labor. Some people say no. Most massage therapists including myself will avoid your feet. It does not mean that we will not touch your feet at all, it means that we will go very lightly over your feet. The other position of prenatal massage is the side line position. This way the baby in your belly is supported by the pillow; also your knees are supported by a pillow in between them along with your hip and your shoulder as well. Go ahead and pull this up and you put your arm up here and what you will expect to do it just kind of snuggle with the pillow and that way all your body is supported by the body pillow and by the separate pillows and so that way being pregnant you will be comfortable the whole time. Now if the massage therapist can work on your legs from this position they can work all the way up to gluteus. There are during pregnancy some hormones rushing through your body that loosen up the joints. That is another reason why you will not be getting really deep massage when you are doing prenatal massage. So it is going to be like I said primarily a Swedish massage just for relaxing and just to ready the body for labor. Also the massage therapist can reach your back from here and from the side of your back until you can/ will get your back worked on while you are pregnant, even though you cannot get on your back or lay down on your stomach completely. "