Pregnancy & baby massage and aromatherapy.
Ah, the joys of pregnancy! Getting baby's room ready and shopping for all those teeny tiny clothes. Seeing them on the scans and hearing their heartbeat. Everyone telling you that you're glowing and look amazing. Watching your belly grow and feeling baby move about. Everything is easy and blissful for the whole 40 weeks. Then POOF, all of a sudden you have a babe in arms and all is rosy...
That's the stereotypical and romanticised version of how pregnancy is. Some of it it true, but not all and a lot has bee left out. Growing a tiny human inside you is a wonderful experience, but it's not all unicorns and rainbows! Carrying a child, the woman can suffer exhaustion, nausea and sickness, pain and leg cramps, headaches and migraines, stress and anxiety. The mood changes can be awful as well and can put strain on relationships. Pregnancy can also be stressful for the partner, too.
Suffice to say, as beautiful as pregnancy is, it does come with its challenges. Massage can help alleviate some of these, even more so when coupled with aromatherapy. There are therapists who specialise in this area, but it can also be a really lovely bonding experience between expectant mother and their partner. As always, the partner will need to know and understand what they're doing and both should speak to their doctor or midwife before any attempt is made.
Aromatherapy
Using essential oils in your every day life can help so much, especially during pregnancy. As I've said previously, Mother Nature provides and oils can help with a wide range of ailments, aches, pains and so much more. This is also true for pregnancy. As always, there are a lot of dos and don'ts in the use of essential oils, even more so during this special time. Below are a few oils that can help and some that are to be avoided at all costs.
| Cardamom, ginger, lemon, peppermint*** | Helps ease nausea and sickness. |
| Frankincense, chamomile**, lavender*, neroli | Stimulates calm, helps with relaxation and promotes good sleep. |
| Geranium, lemon, patchouli, rose, sandalwood, wild orange | Promoted positive mood and helps alleviate stress. |
| Black pepper*, lavender*, ginger | Helps with the pain caused by leg cramping |
| Cypress**, lemongrass**, grapefruit* | Helps with restless legs |
| Lavender*, peppermint*** | Eases headaches and migraines |
| Ylang-ylang**, lavender* | Good for backpain |
*2nd and 3rd trimester.
**3rd trimester.
***Last couple of weeks of pregnancy.
If you are overdue, clary sage can help to start contractions, but always speak to your midwife about this before using it.
Also, you may not be able to use aromatherapy (on the skin or in a diffuser) if you have certain skin conditions, a history of miscarriage or bleeding, heart problems, epilepsy, diabetes, blood clotting problems, thyroid imbalance or kidney and liver disease. Please, please, please, speak to your healthcare provider about everything. I really can't stress enough how important it is to have open communication with all health professionals involved in your pre and postnatal care.
Massage
In my opinion, massage is a must in anyone's life and I always look forward to my appointments. I also recommend it during pregnancy, as it can help it run just that little bit smoother and it's a great way to relax. With the cost of living going up, money can be tight at times, especially when getting ready to welcome a new addition to the family and going to a therapist can cost a fair bit. You can ask your partner or a trusted friend to give you one, though. As long as they know what they're doing and do the research, maybe even speak to a therapist who specialises in pregnancy massage. You will both want to speak with your midwife about it as well.
It is recommended that you don't have massages too regularly, as you don't want to overstimulate your body or use scented oils too often. Yes, you can have too much of a good thing! Who knew?
- 4 weekly between 13-27 weeks.
- Fortnightly between 27-36 weeks.
- Weekly from 36 weeks to birth.
All across our bodies, we have certain points that can be activates by applying pressure (pressure points) and can have so many health benefits. That being said, when it comes to massaging someone who is pregnant, some of these points must be avoided!
Looking at the images, it seems as though these pressure points will be very hard to avoid. It's true, it would be impossible to give anyone a massage without crossing paths with some of them. You can definitely avoid the ones on the chest, as there's no need to massage there anyway. You can stop the others from activating, though. A pressure point will only be activated by pressing down on it. Deep tissue massages during pregnancy are a huge NO!! Light sweeping motions with the full flat of the hands is what is ok. This technique will still have healing and relaxing properties for the mother, but without any risk of those pressure points causing problems. If massaging the baby bump is agreed by both of you, the lightest and softest touch is all that is needed, as you don't want to distress the baby and cause the mother any pain or discomfort.
Always wait until the 2nd trimester to start your massages and lay on your side while having it done as it will me much more comfortable, especially as your baby grows. Laying on your left side is always best, but if you do need to switch sides, don't be afraid to let you therapist or partner know. The last thing you need is to be uncomfortable while trying to relax. Whoever is giving the massage should regularly check on the comfort of the mother. Open communication is always needed, as is a high level of trust.
Baby Massage
Touch and skin-to-skin contact is very important between parents and baby. It helps the bonding process and gives comfort and reassurance to your beautiful bundle of joy. This is where massage comes in and all parents can do it. It can also help to relax your baby if they seem to get a little distressed or grumpy during changing, dressing and bathing.
One area that should never be massaged is the top of baby's head, as they have a soft spot where the skull is yet to fully form and it can be very dangerous. As always, be gentle and tender with your little one, always smiling at them and keep eye contact as much as possible. You can start massaging your baby from about 10-14days old.
Ok, not very good images, but you get the gist of what's indicated. The motions are simple to do and you don't need to spend too long doing the massages. Each massage should last between 5-10 minutes. As time goes on, you can choose to lengthen it and add other motions, such as; walking your fingers across baby's tummy or gently playing piano on their back, but it's always your choice. The piano and clockwise sweeping motions on the stomach are also good for helping tummy ache and gas.
Infant massage can have so many benefits:
- Helps form a bond of love and trust with your baby.
- You can learn to understand baby's body language and cues.
- Baby could sleep better and for longer.
- Ease gas and colic pains.
- Relieves growing pains.
- Eases muscular tension.
- Helps if baby is constipated.
- Stimulates baby's neurological development.
- Improves overall health and wellbeing of baby.
- If you choose to go to classes, it allows you and your baby to socialise.
I really hope you have enjoyed this weeks blog. Next week is going to be about acupressure, seeing as I've mentioned it today. I'm very much looking forward to exploring the pressure points with you all.
As always, take care and much love and light to everyone xxx