As more and more attention is being paid to women’s health, newer treatments are being developed to ease the pain and anxiety of childbirth. One of those areas that is being embraced is prenatal (during pregnancy) and postnatal (after pregnancy) massages. Anyone who regularly gets a therapeutic massage will tell you that they can relax your mind as well as your body. But these specially designed massages for pregnant women have other benefits as well (http://goo.gl/NkszGb).
Getting your hormones on track
One of the greatest benefits of these massage styles is that they help your body to regulate your hormones. Anyone who has been pregnant or been around someone who is pregnant will tell you that your hormones can get completely out of whack and have you swinging wildly with your moods. You can be weepy one minute, elated the next, and angry a minute later. (Or at least that’s what it feels like.) But prenatal massages help to stimulate the release of hormones associated with relaxation while decreasing those associated with stress (like coristol and norepinephrine). What this means in the long run is a more relaxed feeling even after the massage is finished. This can also really help to reduce complications during the delivery, an added plus for both mom and baby.
Improving your body’s overall health
You may have heard the old expression “If mom’s not happy, then nobody is.” This actually goes for your body as well. If an expectant mother becomes too stressed out due to improper hormone regulation, then it can lead to problems with the cardiovascular and immune systems. But prenatal massages have been shown to improve cardiovascular health by decreasing stress. And it can also help to strengthen your immune system, helping you to fight off diseases and ailments that could complicate the pregnancy. If that wasn’t enough, prenatal massages also can decrease inflammation in the joints that can help ease your pain during those long months of pregnancy.
Reducing your pain
We already mentioned how these massages can reduce swelling and inflammation in the joints and thus reduce pain. But it is also possible to reduce pain in many of the areas that pregnant women complain about the most during their pregnancy. Lower back pain is common with the added weight and size of the baby throwing your back out. Oftentimes women will also have problems with their sciatic nerves that causes major discomfort. Massage prevents this by not only relaxing the tissues, but also promoting the production of endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.
It is always important to take care of your physical and mental well-being. But this is especially true during and immediately after pregnancy as you are placed in a great deal of stress and pain. Prenatal and postnatal massages are just the thing you need to help reduce these problems and get you back to feeling like your old self.
