Pregnancy Massage: positioning

Our blog is now featured on our website (www.globaltherapies.com). You should be redirected automatically to this article on our new site.

If you get an ERROR MESSAGE, or you are not redirected please press the REFRESH button on your browser.

Many of my pregnant clients have had treatments with other therapists and not been entirely happy. I always ask why, because I want to learn and improve on my own treatments. On more than one occasion clients have mentioned that they have been uncomfortable. 

Being warm and comfortable is vital if the client is going to relax. If they're not relaxed then you may as well not bother trying to treat because the body will reject you, it will not benefit from the treatment and the client will not have a good experience – that is after all what they want and need. I was astonished to hear from one client that she was laid on her back for the entire duration of her hour long massage. This is a big no-no. Why? Well, the growing baby inside mum is causing pressure on internal organs which move around and put pressure on various internal structures. As the uterus grows and become heavier it puts pressure on the aorta and inferior vena cava when laying on your back. Why does this matter? Well, the vena cava is a major vein which carries deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Compression of which can lead to a fall in cardiac output, low blood pressure, and decreased circulation of blood and therefore – importantly - decreased oxygen to your heart and the baby. It's the same reason you shouldn't sleep on your back, or swim on your back, in late pregnancy. There are other reasons why you shouldn't lay on your back for the massage treatment, but this is the key thing to know. The best position for a treatment is to have the client laying on her side, and for short durations on an inclined couch.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that positioning is vital. Not only for comfort of the mum-to-be but for the overall health and well-being of both mum and baby. A good therapist will adapt their treatment to make sure, 100%, that the client is positioned comfortably and safely.

Lynne