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Boosting Mom & Baby: The Mental and Emotional Benefits of Prenatal Massage

Updated: Jun 1, 2023

“Presently, the therapeutic potential of massage treatments is often underestimated and not optimally utilized. It is necessary to rethink the biological and psychological effects of massage treatments and to make more use of this potent tool.” - The Journal of Clinical Medicine

Pregnancy is always a time of changes in a woman’s life.

It is often a time of positive change and can also be a time of increased vulnerability and sensitivity.


These nine months of progress can have a tremendous effect on the mother's physical health, and so on her mental and emotional conditions.

In this blog post, I will discuss the effects of prenatal massage therapy on the latter, including additional techniques to reduce stress and improve mood.


 

Pregnant women are often told how their diets and physical activities affect their babies' development. There is no doubt that this is true, and I will write about it later as well.


Pregnant women often experience unbalanced and uncontrolled emotions.

There isn't (enough) discussion about the fact that stress, anxiety, and/or depression are very common conditions during pregnancy. These conditions are usually combined together to create an even more difficult situation for the woman's emotional state, as well as negatively affecting the fetus' development.


About 20% of women will be "officially diagnosed" with anxiety or depression during pregnancy, and many more will experience emotional instability, sadness, and stress, which might worsen as the pregnancy progresses.


The Effects of Stress, depression, and Anxiety -


Psychosocial stress and depression are among the major risk factors during pregnancy, which may negatively impact the mother’s health as well as the development and growth of the fetus:

  • Complications during pregnancy and during delivery- A higher incidence of early (preterm) labor, more frequent caesarian deliveries, lower birth weight, lower Apgar scores, and even increased infant morbidity.

  • After delivery - smaller head circumference, higher prevalence of dyspnea and/or feeding disorders of the baby. As for the mother, she might experience ineffective coping strategies, and increased risk for postpartum depression, which can harm the mother-infant relationship, and even lead to an increased risk of suicide.

  • During childhood - Depression during pregnancy can also have a negative impact on the child’s cognitive, motor and emotional development during infancy and childhood.


 

Massage for releasing stress and improving mood-


Mental health conditions in the general population are often treated with pharmacological therapies and, most commonly, the use of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

During pregnancy, the use of SSRIs becomes much more tricky due to suspected of negatively influencing fetal development and contributing to pregnancy complications.


Therefore many pregnant women have a preference for non-pharmacological treatment options, the main one is massage therapy.

In recent years, there has been emerging evidence that massage may benefit women's mental health without the risks of pharmacological interventions.

The main benefits of massage during pregnancy are found to be:

  • Reduced stress

  • Decreased depression and anxiety

  • Improved back and leg pain

  • Increased immune response

  • Increased serotonin and dopamine level

  • Higher fetal birth weight

  • Reduced risk of preterm delivery


 

The bottom Line


Massage is becoming more popular as a way to relieve stress, promote relaxation, and enhance well-being during pregnancy.

Massage can provide an acceptable and effective strategy to support a pregnant woman's emotional state and mental condition.

It can also be used as an alternative to drugs or invasive pain relief during gestation.

“Massage treatments show more positive effects than other relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation. The effects of massage on prenatal depression are comparable to psychotherapy and antidepressants.”


I wish you all good, stable and pleasant health.





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