Pregnancy Massage

Congratulations on the new love that will be joining your life soon! So much excitement and joy as you anticipate your little one!

Also sometimes some aches, pains, worries, and uncertainties occur as your body changes to allow you to grow this wonderful new life. This is where massage therapy can help. Massage can help alleviate any aches, pain, stiffness, and stress that may creep up on you just like we would before your pregnancy.

Massage Therapy is completely safe at all stages of your pregnancy! All RMT's in Ontario have some education in pregnancy massage. Truthfully though, this may only be a day or two of their entire educational program. In addition to being an RMT, Deborah Gurash has separate certifications in Pregnancy Massage, Labour Support, and Infant Massage Instruction and has experience treating those with high risk pregnancies as well as post partum.

At Healthy Spirit Fitness, the treatment room is a very private space with your treatment time uninterrupted and fully focused on your needs. It's a safe space for you to relax and feel free to ask any questions or discuss any concerns you might feel too rushed or too shy to ask in other medical settings.

As baby grows, the hormone Relaxin is flowing through your body, relaxing the ligaments and allowing your ribs to shift and flare and your pelvis to widen, making room for baby to grow. As ligaments (and joints) loosen, stress on the muscles can sometimes result in aches and pains. As your uterus grows, your posture will change too. And, of course, there's the fluid retention that can be uncomfortable and cause some numbness and tingling. Pregnancy massage can truly help minimize any discomfort and prevent excess changes. Published studies (such as Field, 2010) have shown pregnancy massage reduced anxiety, improved mood, promoted sleep, decreased back and leg pain, and decreased depression.

Is a massage therapy treatment different during pregnancy? Not so much actually. In the first trimester, you can be positioned as you normally would for massage, on your back as well as face down. During the second trimester, we'll start placing a towel roll under your right hip when you're lying on your back. This shifts baby, keeping pressure off the inferior vena cava (a major vein). In this way, we can continue to treat your neck and arms while you lay on your back. Back, legs, and hips can then be treated with you lying on your side with pillows under your head, between your legs, and under your top arm. During your third trimester, we will treat you entirely in the sidelying position. At some point you may enjoy a thin pillow under your belly, to support baby.

Many Moms-to-Be enjoy having massage therapy once per month in the first and second trimesters. As baby grows and your body changes more rapidly in the third trimester, more frequent treatment (often weekly) may be helpful to help with the transitions.

Post Partum massage is also highly beneficial. Your body has been through so much. It will take time to return it to its natural state but massage can help make that process more comfortable. Massage can also help alleviate the upper back, neck, and arm stiffness that often accompanies breast feeding.