Prenatal vs. Regular Massage: What’s the Difference?

Several key factors separate traditional massages from those designed for expecting mamas:

• Position – In Swedish, Shiatsu, and other popular types of massage, recipients lie face-down or face-up for most of their treatment. Prenatal massage, however, is usually administered by a massage therapist while a client lies on their side to protect the belly.
• Props and tools – In some cases, massage therapists may introduce other tools and techniques to facilitate a more comfortable posture. For instance, some prenatal care massage specialists use specially-designed tables with an opening made for pregnant bellies, enabling clients to receive treatment face-down. Others ask clients to use props (such as bolsters) to encourage a more pleasant experience.
• Areas of focus – Being pregnant is no cakewalk, and most women battle some form of aches and pains in their second and third trimesters. Prenatal massage focuses on relieving tension in problem areas that tend to bother pregnant women the most, like the feet and lower back.

Prenatal massage is highly recommended in the third trimester, but going for treatments earlier may enhance projected therapeutic benefits.

How far along should you be before swapping your monthly deep tissue massage for a prenatal therapeutic massage appointment?

Generally speaking, it’s safest for a pregnant woman to go for prenatal massage early on—even if you’re not showing yet. In fact, you might book an appointment with a massage therapist trained in prenatal massage and tell them you’re expecting before your session. They’ll know which areas to avoid (a.k.a., your abdomen) and which to give their attention to in order to prepare your body for the months ahead.

Prenatal Massage: Top 8 Benefits

Prenatal or not, a massage’s most obvious benefit is that it just feels good. But aside from this, prenatal massage in particular offers some remarkable health benefits for mother and child.

#1 Helps Dissolve Stress

The impact of stress on non-pregnant bodies has been well-documented—and when there are two people in the mix, stress can have double the negative impact. The National Institutes of Health caution against the effects of moms’ prolonged stress on children in-utero, with several studies tracing a link between psychological pressures and premature or low-weight births.

Fortunately, prenatal massage has been shown to alleviate both short- and long-term stress. That’s because this type of bodywork triggers two related biological responses:

1. Stimulates the vagus nerve, which regulates the parasympathetic nervous system.
2. Reduces the body’s production of cortisol (aka the stress hormone), a key hormone involved in human stress response.

So if you’ve given essential oils for pregnancy a chance, try out a prenatal massage next.

#2 Promotes Your Baby’s Relaxation

Prenatal massage doesn’t just help moms reduce symptoms of stress—it helps babies, too.

One paper from the Expert Review of Obstetrics & Gynecology reported that a decline in moms’ cortisol levels had a relaxant effect on mothers and their babies in-utero, causing the babies to reduce their activity levels in the womb.

So, to all the moms who have a footloose fetus kicking around in their bellies—that’s one more reason to book a session with your therapist!

#3 May Help Relieve Pregnancy Pain

It’s no secret that pregnancy discomfort is a beast to deal with. One of the primary reasons massage therapists recommend prenatal massage is its ability to quell aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Pregnant women most commonly experience muscle soreness in the:

• Hips and pelvis
• Lower back
• Glutes
• Legs
• Ankles
• Feet

In some cases, regular prenatal massage can even prevent common pregnancy discomforts and pains (not just alleviate them as they arise).

#4 May Encourage a Less Painful Delivery

Not only is prenatal massage excellent for soothing soreness during those 9 months of pregnancy— some research suggests it may even alleviate labor pain on delivery day.

In fact, one study showed that pregnant women who received prenatal bodywork reported:

• Less pain during labor
• Shorter labor periods (by an average of 3 hours)
• Lower likelihood of needing an epidural and/or pain medication

Anecdotally, many women who swear by prenatal massage say it also helped them feel more at ease and self-aware in their bodies down the line when it was finally time to deliver their child.

#5 May Help Combat Prenatal Depression

It’s not uncommon to struggle with mood during the hormonal onslaught that attends all 9 months (and sometimes beyond those 9 months) of a pregnancy.

But prenatal massage has been shown to reduce the incidence of prenatal depression. In doing so, massage therapy may likewise help mitigate other mood-related conditions that pregnant women often deal with, such as anxiety.  So go out there and find a massage therapist to help improve your mental health during your pregnancy.

#6 May Reduce Risk of Low Birth Weight

Depression during pregnancy is hard enough on new moms, but it can also have some adverse physiological effects on babies in-utero. Reproductive experts suspect prenatal depression is a contributing factor in lower-than-average gestational age and birth weight.

Indeed, prenatal massage has been shown to promote a higher gestational age and birth weight alongside offsetting prenatal depression symptoms.

#7 May Help Reduce Swelling

Swelling and even edema are common during pregnancy and tend to affect a few choice areas in particular, including:

• Feet
• Ankles
• Calves

Moreover, the 50% boost in blood flow during pregnancy can cause circulation to stagnate, which also contributes to bloating in the lower extremities.

By improving circulation, prenatal massage may also promote lymph drainage and help reduce the telltale swelling many women see during pregnancy.

#8 May Help Improve Sleep Quality

More than three-quarters of women report struggling to maintain a consistent sleep schedule during pregnancy, whether due to frequent trips to the bathroom or an inability to find a comfortable resting position with their swollen bellies.

In one report, prenatal massage was confirmed as 1 of 3 behavioral, non-pharmacological interventions recommended for mothers struggling to normalize pregnancy sleeping habits. (FYI, the researchers reported that the other two worth trying are exercise and acupuncture!).

Can prenatal massage harm my baby?

In the hands of a seasoned therapist, prenatal massage should have no adverse effects on you or your baby. However, certain types of touch and postures aren’t appropriate for particular phases of your pregnancy:

• Deep tissue massage – In the first trimester, deep tissue massage is highly discouraged. This can introduce too much pressure at an ultra-tender stage of your baby’s development.
• Firm pressure on the legs – Some therapists avoid applying significant pressure during prenatal massage, while others insist it’s beneficial when used appropriately.

Yes—a firm hand can certainly feel good and promote blood flow in certain areas. But it can also be riskier when applied to the lower body. This is because pregnant women are at a heightened risk of blood clots, and deep tissue work may dislodge existing clots, causing them to enter the bloodstream.

• Supine (face-up) postures – From the second trimester forward, your massage therapist should know that lying on your back is a big no-no. Doing so can shift too much weight to the back of your body, compromising circulation in your placenta and putting your growing baby at risk.

These risks help explain why it’s so crucial to only book prenatal massage appointments with a specially-trained professional. If you have a preexisting health condition—reproductive or not—it’s equally important to check with your doctor and ensure it’s OK to book an appointment.

Finally, if you’re ever uncomfortable during a massage, you’re always encouraged to let your therapist know.

When is the best time to start prenatal massage?

Many women enjoy prenatal massage starting in their first trimester. In other cases, prenatal massage may aggravate discomfort in women who struggle with the following first-trimester conditions:

• Low blood pressure
• Feeling faint
• Dizziness
• Morning sickness or nausea

If you’ve been prone to queasiness, this doesn’t mean prenatal massage is off the table entirely (pun intended)! Many women overcome early pregnancy woes and hit their stride in their second trimester, achieving a new level of resilience that might make prenatal massage well worth trying.

Find Ease and Empowerment During Your Pregnancy with SneakPeek

To sum up, prenatal bodywork offers more than just feel-good massage feelings—it’s a way to tend to your changing anatomy as it makes room for one of life’s biggest transformations: becoming a mom.

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SneakPeek is OBGYN’s #1 recommended at-home early gender test and is trusted by more than 1 million moms. Find out more of what’s in store for you and your newest arrival by checking out SneakPeek’s collection of prenatal test kits today.