The Benefits of Prenatal Massage

Pregnancy is a time of both excitement and anxiety, particularly when it’s your first child. Prenatal massage is proven to reduce the mother’s discomfort by addressing the chronic stress conditions that often accompany pregnancy.

Massages feel good, and sometimes that’s enough in itself to ease aches, pain, and tension while improving your mood. When you know the science behind massage, you may realize that it’s an essential part of your prenatal care.

This is no surprise to the practitioners at Earthy Ruby in Cupertino, California. Drawing from the centuries of knowledge in Chinese medicine while combining that with contemporary research and techniques, your caregivers at Earthy Ruby can help to make your prenatal time both comfortable and comforting.

The problem with cortisol

While stress is a natural component of life, too much of it can trigger unfavorable changes in your body. That’s true for everyone at any point in their lives, but it’s particularly important when you’re pregnant, since the effects of stress can impact your fetus as well.

Cortisol is a hormone that’s released during periods of stress. When you think of a typical fight-or-flight response, the rush of adrenaline is only one physical response, and cortisol is another. During a sudden crisis, these chemicals help you to deal with the needs of the moment.

When stress is chronic, that is, long-term and constant, continual release of cortisol can have a negative effect on many body systems. When you’re pregnant, high cortisol levels can lead to several health risks, including

Preeclampsia: hypertension related to pregnancy
Premature delivery
Slowed fetal growth
Slow postnatal development
Early miscarriage

Pregnancy itself causes a boost in cortisols that benefit both mother and baby, particularly in the last trimester. Therefore, reducing or eliminating cortisol release due to stress allows for a natural body response leading up to delivery.

The case for prenatal massage

The physical changes experienced by your body can be enough to make prenatal massage inviting. The changing load created by your growing baby places a burden on the musculoskeletal system as it rebalances to accommodate changes to your center of gravity. The extra weight can make muscles and joints ache, perfect targets for massage.

Along with the pain relief, massage stimulates blood and lymph system circulation. As supply and drainage systems, respectively, improved flow speeds the passage of cortisol through your body, helping to limit its level.

Relief from body aches, mood improvement, and reduced cortisol imbalance combine to make prenatal massage an excellent wellness tool throughout your pregnancy. Call on the prenatal treatment specialists at Earthy Ruby to find out more about the benefits of massage. Call the office directly at 408-868-5272, or use a convenient online link to schedule your consultation now.