Glowing and growing with a miracle, we find ourselves holding space in our hearts and our bodies for a precious baby. Honored with the task of carrying new life, bursting with potential, pregnancy can also be a time of great challenge for pregnant clients (physically, emotionally, and even spiritually). Of course, we're also familiar with struggles a stereotypical pregnant woman may experience: waddling with her hands supporting her low back, swollen and tired. While many pregnant women seek out massage to help reduce these common discomforts, aches, and pains often associated with pregnancy, prenatal massage can do so much more!
Prenatal Massage has many benefits for both mother and baby, backed by a rich, ancient history and a burgeoning body of research. Have you ever wondered how massage might affect your emotional landscape during pregnancy? Today we explore the psychophysical benefits of prenatal massage therapy. It's common and expected for pregnant clients to go through an extensive breadth of emotional changes during pregnancy. Some are simply a byproduct of the hormonal changes taking place to support the growth of the baby, while others are related to the myriad of physical, emotional, or even spiritual challenges that the journey of becoming a parent has to offer.
Psychophysical Benefits
The term psychophysical is used to describe how physical stimulus affects environmental states and creates sensations.
Massage Reduces Stress
If you've ever had a massage before, it's not hard to imagine it can reduce stress levels! Many pregnant clients experience increased stress levels during pregnancy. These stressors can be anything from performance anxieties, concerns about what kind of parent you'll be, how you might manage to be a parent, difficulty performing tasks you are accustomed to, financial concerns relating to health care costs or reduced income with taking maternity leave, to more consequential concerns about abusive partners, a lack of support from friends or family members, fears of losing a job due to pregnancy discrimination and any serious health issues that might arise. You're not alone if you find yourself experiencing increased stress during your pregnancy!
Our bodies respond to stress with adrenaline, producing a hormone called cortisol. You might be familiar with the reactions this causes: fight, flight, or freeze. In reaction to these stressors, your body begins to prioritize blood flow which can compromise your blood flow to the baby. High stress levels have even been shown to be associated with prematurity and low birth weight. Research has shown that massage reduces cortisol, the hormone used as a marker to determine how much stress a person is experiencing.
Massage Promotes Relaxation
Relaxation goes a step further than simply reducing stress; it actually resets the autonomic nervous system, creating physiological balance. This is evidenced in more steady blood pressure readings, pulse, and respiratory rates. Relaxation improves blood flow to the organs responsible for carrying and growing your baby. We see improved emotional states and responses to stressful experiences. Relaxation skills are extremely valuable during the childbearing experience. It's recommended that pregnant clients practice relaxation throughout pregnancy, most especially in the last few weeks. Massage even creates a change in your brain state - the same alpha wave states present in meditators! This can be a valuable time to practice and improve your relaxation skills!
Massage Provides Essential Nurturing
It's fairly obvious that massage provides the physical nurturing of therapeutic touch, but often times pregnant clients notice an increased need or desire for regular, consistent, nonjudgmental emotional support. This kind of support is frequently lacking in our traditional support systems, such as family and friends. The Therapeutic Relationship that develops during prenatal massage therapy sessions can be a powerful source of focused, individualized attention to a pregnant client’s concerns and emotional needs. Further, a skilled prenatal massage therapist can identify a potential need for health services and provide referrals for those experiencing perinatal anxiety and depression or other complications in a timely manner.
Now that we've looked at the many ways massage can influence our emotional states, have you ever wondered how massage can directly impact your body? Join us next time as we explore the many physical benefits of prenatal massage!