Massage During Pregnancy
One of the questions I get asked regularly is how often you should get a massage during pregnancy.
The answer depends on a lot of factors such as time, money etc… But taking all of those out of the equation here are my recommendations.
In my practice, I see my Mum’s to be after her 12th-week scan, so as long as nothing untoward is happening, a massage once every 4 weeks will help to keep everything supple and you relaxed.
Once you reach about week 25/26 the bump will be getting noticeably bigger now, so with changes in centre of gravity, this will put more strain on the lower back, which can cause aching, stiffness and possible sciatic symptoms (which can be shooting pains down into the buttocks or all the way down either or both legs).
Also, your breasts will be getting bigger and heavier which will pull on the muscles in your neck and upper back, so you might be experiencing pain and stiffness both the upper back and neck, which could be triggering headaches if severe.
If you do find you are suffering from problems such as pelvic girdle pain, oedema or cramping, you might want to have a massage more regularly to help alleviate any pain and reduce any swelling.
But for general well-being, here is a list of the when I recommend having a massage during pregnancy as a rough guidance only:
- Week 12
- Week 16
- Week 20
- Week 24
- Week 25/26
- Week 30
- Week 35
- Week 36
- Week 37
- Week 38
- Week 39
- Week 40+
Hope this helps, and if you have any other questions about pregnancy or massage, please leave them in the comments below, and I will either reply or if it needs a bigger answer then I’d be happy to blog about it 🙂
