prenatal massage

[craftypaddy]

prenatal massage

I give many pre-natal massages and careful intake is very important. I use the pre-natal table with breast cutout as well as abd. cut out, for all normal pg. If it is not a normal preg. I use side-lying and explain why to Mom who is always grateful I have her child's interest at heart. If a pre-natal mom requests deeper work on her back, I always use side-lying. While she is on pre-natal table in prone position, my back strokes are soothing/relaxing, never deep.I also let her know if at any time this position does not feel comfortable for you, just let me know and we'll change position. No problem!I've had two people out of perhaps 40 change position in the last few months. Wendy

 

[chrissylovesyou21]

Comming from a long line of midwifes/doulas of native american desent.  I have massaged pregnant women in many positions and places.  We have used deep pressure on low/mid and upper back throughout pregnancies, yep even in those first few weeks.  We have even massaged their ankles, oh my.  If you are trained, listen to your patient, caring and compasionate and most of all Know what you are doing, you can indeed massage throughout pregnancy.  I am amazed that pregnancy is treated as a disease and body changes as conterindications, but society is society.  If you stay within your comfort zone you wont go wrong.Just my 2 centsCrystal

 

[Hem]

prenatal massage

This is what BodyCushion says:

Since the inception of the bodyCushion pregnant women have reported relief from the pain of back strain and pelvic pressure when lying face down on the bodyCushion.

Due to this possible application for pregnancy the bodyCushion has become closely associated with pregnancy and is widely known and used as a pregnancy positioner.

Although pregnant women have reported relief, there is a belief among some in the field of obstetrics, gynecology and massage that a pregnant woman should not be face down under any circumstances, particularly in the later seforum.xxxes of pregnancy.

Even though the bodyCushion supports the body on its bony frame and hammocks the uterus it is felt there may be a risk, if even slight, of increasing the uterine pressure or stretching the uterine ligaments of the pregnant woman.

Because of this Body Support Systems policy is to recommend positioning the pregnant client or patient in the left lateral, side lying position on the bodyCushion. The current guidelines of obstetrics and gynecology no longer recommend positioning the pregnant client or patient face up, therefore we no longer recommend face up positioning on the bodyCushion.

To practice the credo, do no harm, and stay on the side of safety, we recommend positioning the pregnant woman in the left side-lying position.

I was working at UCMT when they said they would no longer teach putting the client face down using the Body Support System. Now that was over a year ago, so maybe that has changed.

 

[strawberristarz16]

Ladies and Gents:I have a unique perspective.  It is never wise to make a blanket statement such as "without merit" or the like, and yet how long did it take for the medical community to admit that it would NOT bring harm to the fetus for her to raise her arms above her head?    Also, I noticed that most of the posts where someone says they talked to many docs, Nurse Practictioners and CNMs, that what they didn't notice was that each of these professionals was trained in the samed "text" from ONLY the MEDICAL MODEL community.  There are a lot of "restrictions" and "over-concern" about many things in the medical model teaching that (IMHO) have been borne out of a desire to prevent medical malpractice and not from simple trust in nature.HOWEVER, I have the distinct advaneforum.xxxe of being on both sides of this issue.  I am both a massage therapist (for over 12 years - my lifetime if you count from the age of 8 would make it over 30 years!) as well as a midwife (still in a student training status).  I have attended numerous births and specialize in pregnancy massage as well as advise many pregnant moms on the do's and don'ts during pregnancy.  One of the main exercises I teach is the pelvic rock which is performed on hands and knees to IMPROVE lower back, buttock and lower abdominal strength for giving birth.  I fully support a face forward position.  I have, in the last 4 months, had 3 seperate moms deliver with the EASIEST births they had ever experienced.  They recieved their massages on the Prego Pillow with the full knowledge of the OB/GYNs without any reproval.  In fact, their OB/GYNs heartily supported the idea of massage and even supported the face forward approach with the UNDERSTANDING that no OVERT pressure was being applied to the lower back.  When their OBs were informed that the MT was also a midwife-in-training, there was no longer even that comment being made as they knew the MT had a strong working knowledge of pregnancy, labor and delivery and would also know and exercise correct caution regarding any contraindications.I guess what I am trying to stress the most here, is that your (the attending MT) working knowledge of pregnancy, labor and delivery should be strong and the utmost care taken when having the client fill out the intake form prior to massage.  I also will say that I do not support MT in the first trimester unless it has been cleared, in writing, by the OB/GYN and even then, it is a rare event that I will perform the massage, since I feel that the risk of releasing too many toxins into the system puts the fetus at risk for miscarriage.  Just remember that YOUR knowledge of the inherent risks in a  NORMAL LOW RISK pregnancy, and fetal development as well as the safety factors nature puts in place to protect the fetus is what ultimately provides YOU with the safety net for your client.  Medical releases can be written up and signed by both the pregnant woman and her caregiver if you are truely concerned.  Bottom line, if the client wants a face forward massage and you have the materials to provide that for her, she is low risk, and her attending caregiver (wheather it be an OB, GP, CNM, NM, or Homebirth Midwife) is aware and clears her for such, she should be accomodated.

 

[Dre D]

prenatal massage

This is my first post as a newbie, and am excited to have found this forum. It has been very interesting to read this particular thread on pregnancy massage. It appears to be an emotional topic as well as an experiential one.

I have yet to study Pregnancy Massage treatments, but have worked where I have seen a prenatal table with cutouts for breasts and abdomen. The abdomen cutout had a sling attached with Velcro (underneath the table) so that it could be adjusted to various levels of support. Intuitively I would think that the sling could be adjusted to give just the right amount of support to the abdomen without too much pressure (or dangling).  

Personally the idea of the cutouts appealed to me and was very comfortable when I laid down to try it out. I am a heavier woman with a large chest (not obese) and have experienced massages with various cushions and pillows under me while laying face down. I found those experiences to be uncomfortable in both positioning and increased warmth from being so tucked in.   This discomfort truly detracted from the massage experience. Next time I have the opportunity to receive a massage, rather than give them, I will seek out the person with breast and abdomen cutouts.