by Heather Lyn, A Mellow Mood Mama Spa
I would arrive for my massage appointment hurried and out of breath. On the verge of tears. As soon as I would settle in on the massage table, I would feel the anxiety melting away. It felt good to spend time with my belly and feel my baby move. I felt safe and taken care of. In the 3rd trimester, I was surrounded by advice, stories and comments about my body and upcoming birth. The stress settled in my body and filled my mind with questions. Massage enveloped me, like a hug from my mother would make me feel. Before being pregnant myself, I only imagined the benefits of prenatal massage. I used my training and education as a prenatal massage therapist and my instincts to care for the pregnant bodies on my massage table. I now realize massage not only calmed my body and baby, but also my fears and anxiety about birth and what the heck was happening to my body.
Benefits for Mamas – for their own experience in Prenatal Massage
- Reduces stress
- Promotes relaxation
- Offers emotional and physical nurturing
- Reduces swelling and muscle strain and pain
- Fosters nurturing and confident touch to baby
Massage can be a way to pause while pregnant. A time to be still for mom and baby.
Stress activates the sympathetic branch of the nervous system also known as our fight and flight response. Chronic sympathetic arousal provoked by worries and anxieties can negatively affect childbearing and development. Moms can experience increased maternal heart rate, reduced blood supply to the uterus and prolonged labors. Moms postpartum can experience increased infant irritability and digestive disturbances. Support can counteract the negative effects of stress. (Carol Osborne-Sheets, Pre-and Perinatal Massage Therapy, Nurturing the Births of Mothers and Their Babies)
Massage is support for the growing prenatal body. Moms in all stages of pregnancy can benefit from stress reduction and the power of touch therapy.
~A peaceful pregnancy for you and your baby is our mission at a Mellow Mood
Find us across the hall from the Boulder Nurse Midwives ~ 303-444-0919
