Expecting Moms Embrace Massage

During pregnancy physical and emotional changes cascade throughout the body. Nausea, fatigue, swelling, heartburn, headache, and emotional turbulence are just some of the symptoms that come with the territory. Fortunately, massage can help ease these issues, so that the mom-to-be can focus on what’s most important: her baby. The First Trimester “In the first trimester I see a lot of cases of nerves,” says Megan O’Connor, a New York-based certified prenatal massage therapist. “Massage can give reassurance.” This is largely because newly pregnant women may experience a range of emotions–elation, anxiety, contentment, and even fear–made more poignant by the hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy. Fortunately, massage therapy can help ground an expecting mother and ease the emotional roller coaster that comes with pregnancy.  But is massage safe in the first trimester? According to Susanrachel Condon, founder of Niara Healing Arts Massage Therapy and Perinatal Support Systems, “It is absolutely safe and can be very beneficial for an expecting mother.” Having said that, there are some precautions to take when considering prenatal massage. If it is a high-risk pregnancy or there’s a history of complications–diabetes, high blood pressure, miscarriages, placenta previa, preeclampsia, or any other medical condition–a midwife or doctor should [...]