Beth Pesa Villante NCMT
Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrated Medicine

There is no other time in which massage can have as important an application than during pregnancy. A woman's body goes through so many changes physically as well as mentally and emotionally and massage can be of great benefit to help ease some of the symptoms associated with these changes. Massage can be helpful in each stage of pregnancy from preconception through labor and delivery.

Stress and pregnancy are almost synonymous. Both "good" and "bad" stress produces a stress response in the body. Massage is one of the greatest tools in helping to manage and cope with stress and it's subsequent symptoms. Massage helps relieve muscle tension and the corresponding mental tension.

As a woman’s body begins to grow and hormones begin to loosen the tendons and ligaments she may experience a whole host of symptoms such as loosing balance, affected gait, ligament pain, low back pain, sciatica, leg cramps, fatigue, and insomnia. Massage helps with each of these symptoms and many more. Massage relaxes muscles, helps free up fascia (connective tissue) and increases circulation allowing the body to assume a more integrated shape. Massage is deeply relaxing and has a profound sedative effect on the nervous system which in many cases prevents sleeplessness. Increased lymphatic circulation after a massage can also help with edema (swollen feet and ankles).

Massage helps to relieve pain associated with labor and delivery, as many generations of midwives have known. I have given massage to several women in labor but I could not fully appreciate it's benefits until I proudly gave birth to my first son several months ago. Only a mother knows the excruciating pain of labor contractions. In my experience certain specific massage techniques helped to greatly reduce the intensity of the pain associated with each contraction, which made it bearable to deliver naturally. A qualified massage therapist or Doula (birth assistant) may be hired to perform these techniques, or they can be taught to a support person and practiced in preparation for labor. Post partum massage can soothe away the traumatic effects of childbirth and help facilitate quicker healing.

Incorporating regular massage into a prenatal care plan can be of great benefit on many levels. When massage helps a woman to feel integrated and healthy in her body and mind, she will manifest a more positive birth experience.