Massages and Touch in Pregnancy

Doesn't that sound great?

Are you pregnant and longing for a nice, soothing massage? In the vast majority of cases, nothing is standing in the way of this, even if some body therapists refrain from massages during pregnancy. Of course, this has a lot to do with liability, etc. and I can understand that too. But with this short article, I would like to take away the fears that massage could trigger preterm labor.

To do this, we should first understand how childbirth begins in the vast majority of cases. It's a complex process, most likely triggered by a signal from the baby. The so-called lung maturity of the child also plays an important role. After the lungs have matured around the 34th week of pregnancy, the child forms certain messenger substances that slowly prepare the woman's body for childbirth. Receptors for important birth hormones such as prostaglandin in the tissue of the cervix and oxytocin in the muscles of the uterus are formed, which contribute to effective contractions and the opening of the cervix when these hormones are present in sufficient quantities, i.e. at the beginning of labor. And, of course, many more factors play a role. The fact is, however, that in the vast majority of cases, preterm birth is caused by infections. The routine vaginal examination by the gynecologist is to be recognized as a trigger for infections and thus premature rupture of membranes and possible premature birth far more than a massage could ever do. I must stress here that there are no evidence-based studies that show that routine and unprovoked vaginal examinations make any sense. If I were you, I would ALWAYS turn it down if there was no good reason.

And now back to massages. It does no harm for a pregnant woman who is not at risk of preterm labor, such as vaginal bleeding, preterm labor with dilation of the cervix, premature rupture of membranes, or placental insufficiency, to have her tense back massaged. From week 32 of pregnancy, I received weekly massages from my Filipino midwife, which I completed on the side or the back. It was incredibly good for me that she massaged my legs and feet because I often had cramps. She also massaged my face, back, and arms. I also found the massage of the pelvic ring to be delightful. Although I could feel that I was very tense at first, over time her massage felt like a very good preparation for the birth. My baby bump wasn't left out either, because Laya was already part of our community. She would rub the little man's stomach or move him into a good position (often pushing him back out of the pelvis a bit, which gave me a lot of lower back relief). I could trust her and her gentle and knowing hands and let myself go for about 2 hours a week. This relaxation was so beneficial. She knew my body and pelvis very well, which greatly helped us during the birth. Because her massages were also in demand there. Maybe it was that I was already so used to touch and massage that they seemed essential during labor and helped a lot.

Even after the birth, Nanay (Mother as we called our hilot and friend respectfully) was there for me and massaged my belly and back, helping the uterine involution and the milk flow. When we are physically touched, we release oxytocin, the love and cuddle hormone, and we shouldn't let that go, especially during the often strenuous postpartum period.

I love massaging the bellies of women who have recently given birth, and a soothing neck and shoulder massage can also happen occasionally.

And of course during birth gentle touch and sometimes even strong massages play a big role. If you wanna learn more about this topic please consider my Online Birth Preparation Course for only $US88. https://www.yourmidwifehour.com/avenues-of-support-offerings

But who can massage you now? Ask your partner, a friend, a well-known masseur, or get yourself a massage chair or other massage device. Do it for you and your baby. Don't worry things that are good for us during pregnancy are very, very rarely a mistake. A sauna is also something that I can only recommend if you are already able to go to the sauna without any problems before pregnancy. Now have fun massaging and enjoying yourself and if you would like to learn more about me and my online offers, then have a look around on my homepage. You can also arrange a free introductory call with me at youmidwifehour@gmail.com.