Why You Should Include Massages As Part Of Your Prenatal Care Regimen

If you're expecting a baby, you're probably aware of the importance of keeping up with your prenatal care.  Your prenatal care regimen likely consists of a combination of regular hospital visits, vitamin consumption and screening and lab tests.  However, there could be one piece that you are leaving out of your regimen that could prove to be very beneficial to you:  Massage therapy.  Learning more about the benefits of getting massages during your pregnancy will help you determine if you should begin doing so right away.

Pregnancy Massage Helps Regulate Your Hormones

Although pregnancy is certainly a very exciting time, it can also be fraught with its own brand of stress and anxiety.  It probably doesn't help that your hormone levels are soaring in attempts to prepare your body for the growth of new life.  This could leave you with an influx of hormones that make you weep one minute and laugh hysterically the next.

That's why it's so important for you to take the time to invest in massages during your pregnancy.  Studies have shown that massage therapy can help lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, while simultaneously increasing the presence of the "happy" neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine.  This could go a long way toward helping you feel less stress and experience a greater sense of calm as your baby incubates.

Massage Therapy Helps With Swelling

A common problem that many pregnant women deal with is the swelling of their feet and ankles.  This occurs because of the increased weight that your body is attempting to balance out, combined with the added pressure that your joints have to work with.  Because so much of your weight is now concentrated in your stomach area, you may find that the circulation in your legs is not as effective as it used to be.  The swelling can make it difficult to fit into your old shoes, and you may even find that you're unable to stand on your feet for extended periods of time without taking a break.

When you add massages to your prenatal regimen, your soft tissues experience stimulation.  This helps to reduce the chance that fluid will have an opportunity to build up and result in swelling.

Taking the time to get massages during your pregnancy is a critical way for you to care for both your physical and emotional health.  Start getting massages today so you can enjoy these benefits and many more.

For more information on the benefits of pregnancy massage, contact a professional like Imagine Wholeness.


Share