I loved finding this study after teaching partner massage to a fantastic couple this weekend who knows how to touch each other (not always the case!). This lucky mom-to-be has a husband who could not have been more enthusiastic about massaging her (and with a good bit of natural talent!). So for all those moms out there who are looking for concrete reasons to have their partner rub their backs during pregnancy, read on!
A new study published in the Journal of Infant Behavior and Development by researchers at the Touch Research Institute found that massage therapy has significant impacts on depressed pregnant women and their babies.
It is estimated between 10 to 25% of pregnant women experience prenatal depression. This then becomes a risk factor for many complications, including prematurity, low birth weight and intensive care at birth. The baby may exhibit effects much later on as mental, motor and emotional delays.
Antidepressants are not the treatment of choice as they do cross the placenta and have been found to have adverse effects on the fetus.
In this study, researchers recruited pregnant women in early second trimester who were experiencing depression. These women’s partners were given instruction in massage and massaged the women twice a week at home for 12 weeks. The results were fantastic. Compared with the control group, the massage group experienced decreased depression and low back pain, fewer prenatal complications including a 75% lower prematurity rate and 80% lower incidence of low birthweight.
Interestingly, they found that depression and cortisol levels were still decreased in the massage group postpartum. Though the massage “ended” at week 32, the physiological effects lasted throughout the pregnancy and into postpartum. Newborns of the massage group also had lower cortisol levels than the control group.
Field T, Diego M, Hernandez-Reif M, Deeds O, Figueiredo B. “Pregnancy massage reduces prematurity, low birthweight and postpartum depression.” Infant Behav Dev. 2009 Jul 29.
equilibrio, August 25th 2009 |
Posted in Massage, Pregnancy
Of course, as soon as I posted some information on this, three more clients came in with stories that I think are pretty typical. Here they are:
- One woman was given a gift certificate for one of the massage mills for Christmas. She booked her session and when she arrived they told her that the original pregnancy massage therapist was not available, so they had another qualified therapist ready for her. This mams-to-be is a well-seasoned massage receiver and on her second pregnancy; far from timid, she agreed to the new therapist and went in for her session. The therapist asked her to start laying on her back (in her third trimester!). Our mom-to-be knew better and said she couldn’t lie flat on her back. The therapist reponded that they could work in a side-lying position instead. He left the room and returned and was ready to proceed, but mama was left lying on her side with no pilllows supporting her neck and head, nor her legs. She had to ask for her own leg bolster, which the therapist provided. She made no disparging remarks about the establishment, nor of the individual therapist; she was simply relating that her comfort was compromised during the entire session.
- Another recent mama-to-be who has come to my office has her own regular massage spot that she goes to and loves, and received one prenatal massage there. Though she remains a loyal customer of this sweet day spa, she has decided to receive her bodywork elsewhere during her pregnancy. The therapists were too timid working with her pregnant body, almost as if they were "afraid to touch" her.
And here’s one from a woman I saw a few months ago:
- A woman in her 5 month of pregnancy came to see me, exhausted and feeling the aches and pains. Her boyfriend made the appointment for her and had grilled me on my qualifications. She showed up just a few minutes late for her appointment (less than 5 minutes), really apologetic and the first words out of her mouth were, "is this going to cut into my massage time?", with a real look of worry on her face. I told her, "usually, yes, but since it is your first session, I am holding a full 90-minutes for us, so I think we will be ok." As we got talking, it turns out she worked as a receptionist at one of the massage mills until very recently. She said that she refused to get a massage there because she was pregnant (despite enjoying employee discounts), and didn’t trust the therapists and didn’t think they were really certified or qualified (perhaps she meant specific to pregnancy massage). She heard their comments about clients behind their backs, and saw the therapists as completely tip-motivated. She was blown away by the contrast of seeing a private therapist who has the flexibility and time to really engage her about her body and pregnancy, spend time with her, and be present with her.
Please feel free to share your stories as well.
equilibrio, February 18th 2008 |
Posted in Massage
As the demand for pregnancy massage has increased over the past few decades, various products have come on the market aiming to make delivering that massage simpler. There are now special tables you can purchase or pillows that go on top of a table that have special cut-out sections for a pregnant belly and breasts, thus allowing a woman to lie face down throughout her pregnancy. This sounds like a dream come true to many pregnant women who have been struggling to adapt to lying on their side as their pregnancy progresses. In fact, this is often one of the first questions prospective clients ask when they call; "Do you have a special table so I can lie face down?"
Well, no, I don’t. In fact, experts in the field caution against using these tables and recommend other positions as optimal for pregnant clients, for the following reasons:
- No matter how well these tables try to support the belly, they still force women into a position in which her very heavy uterus is now suspended from her lowback by an already stressed ligament structure. These stressed ligaments are often the cause of many pregnancy aches and pains that women are looking to alleviate in massage.
- Having massage applied to you while lying face down risks increa
sing intrauterine pressure. Not good.
- Many women are very uncomfortable lying face down as they feel they are lying on top of their baby, despite the accommodations of the belly cut-out.
- For women who are quite advanced in their pregnancies, it can be quite awkward to attempt to lower both your belly and breasts into these pre-cut holes, and then turn over later in the massage.
- One size does not fit all. Though these holes are meant to accomodate the average woman, the varation in sizes of women’s torsos, pregnant bellies and breasts complicate the ability of these tables to support all women.
- One alternative to this style of table is a large pillow that covers much of the table and provides similar cut-outs for the breasts and belly, allowing the woman to lie face down. Depending on how the therapist uses these systems, sometimes there is not enough of an opening for the woman to breathe and she can sometimes leave feeling suffocated.
Most experts agree, the optimal positioning for pregnancy remains a side-lying and semi-reclined
positions; the same options women have at home. Fortunately, however, most trained therapists have high-tech pillows and enough experience to make you a lot more comfortable than you are in your own bed (or so my clients claim). This photo is from the maker of the Body Support Cushion — what most professional pregnancy massage therapists use (I’ll try to get a better pic soon). They also feature ways to work with women lying face down, but again, experts in the field discourage lying face down during a pregnancy massage.
equilibrio, February 13th 2008 |
Posted in Massage, Pregnancy
