Pregnancy Massage: 4 Big Differences

Pregnancy Massage: 4 Big Differences.

Pregnancy massage is a wonderful treatment during strange months of gestation. There are, however, some important differences to this type of massage, compared to massages at other times of adult life. Let’s have a look at what they are.

Pregnancy Massage Indications and contra-indications

All types of massage come with their indications and contra-indications. Pregnancy massage is no different.

Contraindication #1: First trimester

The main contraindication is: no massage of any kind during the first trimester. The first trimester is the time in which a pregnancy is most likely to fail. So, as a general safeguard, we don’t do any bodywork during the first three months of pregnancy. Once twelve weeks have elapsed, we still need permission from the family doctor, midwife, or gynaecologist.

Indication #1: Relief from aches and pains

The number one indication of pregnancy massage is: pain relief.

Pregnant women are not ill. They are pregnant. But, gestation presents a set a challenges that are short-lived, but unique to this special life moment.

The development of the belly presents musculo-skeletal challenges around how and where weight is balanced in the body, and how the spinal column responds the the everyday shock absorption of things like walking. If a woman already has a toddler or babe-in-arms to attend to, the back, neck and arms can get particularly worn out.

Connective tissue changes due to fluctuating hormones can produce aches and pains that come and go during the day, but can be especially tiresome during the night. The laxity in connective tissue during pregnancy means that massage therapists must adopt a “don’t know go slow” attitude, especially when working around the pelvis.

But, a well designed pregnancy massage can go a long way to helping a woman feel more comfortable. That is why it’s indication number one!

Indication #2: Relief from swelling

A pregnant woman has about 50% more blood in her body than usual! More blood equals more perfusion of liquid into the intra-cellular and tissue spaces. The result: swelling.

Edema in the legs and and ankles is an extremely common side-effect of later-stage pregnancy. Manual Lymphatic Drainage massage is uniquely suited to relieving puffiness, calming the central nervous system, relieving pressure on the inguinal lymph nodes, and generally helping an expectant mother feel more herself again.

A qualified MLD therapist will be able to explain about the importance of breathing, and the changes in the diaphragmatic pump during pregnancy. These are specialist topics that won’t often be addressed by the medical team, but which can go a long way to helping a woman understand what is happening to her body.

Through a clear, helpful explanation, and good understanding of the lymphatic system during pregnancy, a women can feel more serene and at ease during this singular moment in her life.

The Four Big Differences

Aromatherapy or Essential oils

During pregnancy, it is recommended that no essential oils be used. In very late stages of pregnancy, some chamomile could be added to the carrier oil. But, I adhere strictly to this rule: No essential oils.

Essential oils are highly concentrated because they have been extracted and distilled. We smell them, and we also absorb them via the skin.

The skin is the largest organ in the body, and has a high degree of venous irrigation. This means that things that you apply to the skin get into your blood supply very quickly.

Essential oils contains lots of organic compounds like terpenes, benzenes, and toluenes. As adults, we have all been exposed to these chemicals and most of us can tolerate them. But a developing foetus has not had any environmental exposure, yet. Although the mother’s liver and kidneys would filter the blood, we still don’t want to mess around with this. Don’t use essential oils in your pregnancy massage practice.

Electromedicine

Devices like Indiba, TENS, or (my favorite) HIVAMAT, all have one thing in common: they use electricity to stimulate the skin and/or connective tissue and/or nerves in order to relieve pain and promote healing.

The developing foetus is particularly sensitive to electrostatic fields. During pregnancy massage, electromedicine devices of any kind are not used.

Reflexology points

Reflexology is particularly nice for the expectant mother. Not only is positioning on the massage couch easier (no side-lying), the feet take a beating during gestation and often need some TLC.

Having said that, there are certain reflex points on the ankles that heels that must be avoided until a woman is full term. Make sure not to stimulate points related to the uterus when giving reflexology massage!

Positioning on the massage couch

It is unlikely that a women past her first trimester will be comfortable lying face-down for any period of time. Structure the treatment so that she is at ease.

Avoid lying for too long on the left side, as this makes her heart work harder. Try side-lying on the right side, with pillows between the knees and in front of the belly (for the free arm).

If she can lie on her back, slightly raise the legs, to relieve pressure on the lower back. Work with your patient, making sure she knows that she can speak up in case she needs to move or, as often happens, she needs to get up to pee halfway through the treatment.

How to book an appointment

If you like what you have read here, and think that you may know someone who could benefit from a massage during pregnancy, send her my way! I have an intuitive and easy-to-use booking system that allows you to choose your time and date.

I can also prepare a gift card for your loved one. Just drop me a line at rosetintyourlife (at) gmail (dot) com and I will get back to you. You can also use the Whatsapp button on the bottom right of your screen.

Pregnancy massage at Rose Tint Your Life

At Rose Tint Your Life, I am here to help you live your best life in plenitude and wellness. Here’s to your good health!

-Rachel

Massage oil, 100% pure organic coconut.

Pure coconut oil for massage

Check out my YouTube video about the organic massage oil I use in my treatments, then read on ↓. I will explain a little about massage oil in general, then get into some basic organic chemistry so that you can understand what fatty acids are and how they influence the quality of massage oil.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  1. Coconut Carrier Oil
  2. Fatty Acids
  3. Saturated Fats
  4. How to book

Hey guys, Rachel here again, from Rose Tint Your Life. I’m on a roll because I am just loving😍 the new blind behind me. I finally have a backdrop for my videos! So, I thought I would talk to you today about my carrier oil.

Coconut Massage oil

This might seem really boring at first, but natural massage oil actually, makes all the difference in holistic and healing massage. Just behind me, in the video, you can see my little tea light warmer with the ceramic jar on top. I warm the oil because I use pure coconut massage oil 🥥 as my carrier oil. Now, pure coconut oil is only the fat fraction, so that means that it doesn’t have the proteins and it doesn’t smell like coconut.

As coconut massage oil is solid at room temperature, I keep it on a tealight warmer. Heated massage oil is an extra special treat, especially in winter!

Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids

Coconut oil for massage is far and away the best choice. Why? Because it has medium-chain fatty acids. Those are 8, 10-carbon fatty acids. These fats are lubricating but they are not greasy. It is absorbed into the skin and it is really, really nourishing. Coconut oil also contains good amounts of Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol, for the chemistry nerds out there). Vitamin E is the main anti-oxidant for anything fatty. You know that Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant, right? Well Vitamin C protects in a watery medium…Vitamin E protects in a fatty medium.

What are fatty acids?

Fatty acids are the name that chemists give to the long chains of carbon and hydrogen that make up fats. Mostly, fats are found as “triglycerides“. This means that three (tri) fatty acid chains are attached to a backbone of glycerine, which is also a carbon molecule. In fact, it’s pretty much all Carbon! We are talking about some very simple organic chemistry, which is the chemistry of carbon or the chemistry of life!

coconut massage oil 
contains medium-chain fatty acids of 8-10 carbons.  This makes it highly nourishing and lubricating.

Medium-chain fatty acids

When I say that coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids, I am saying that you are going to find chains of carbon that contain 8-10 or even 12 carbon atoms attached to that glycerine backbone.

These medium-chain fatty acids are saturated and stable. Stable in chemical terms means that they are not likely to react to things like heat or oxygen. They are chemically inert. Something unstable would be gasoline, which is also a carbon chain, but is liquid at room temperature, has a strong smell (so it is evaporating spontaneously), and is highly combustible, which is why you don’t smoke at the gas station!

Saturated fats

Generalizing wildly, animal fats are often saturated and vegetable fats are more often unsaturated. Meat and eggs contain cholesterol, a saturated fat. Because saturated fats are more solid and inert, they are often involved in nasty things like arterio-sclerosis and fatty liver. Hence the recommendation to eat more vegetable-based fats and reduce animal-based foods. But coconut is different. It has saturated fats of vegetable origin.

These, then, are vegetable fats that are similar to animal fats. They are more like the fats that our own skin produced to protect and lubricate itself. Coconut oil really is a wonderful massage oil!

How to Book

Do you like what you have read today? Come on, check it out, come to have a massage and Rose Tint Your Life! My massage studio is open Tuesday-Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. I only work by appointment, so if you’re interested in bodywork, please do get in touch via my contact page. 📍If you want a home visit, this can also be arranged in the Marina Baixa area (basically Benidorm to Altea la Vella).

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