Shiatsu Massage For Pregnant Women

Shiatsu Massage For Pregnant Women. Pregnancy and childbirth has become a "medical technology" event in today's society despite the fact that it is a naturally occurring physical and emotional part of a woman's being.

Women today experience one scan, after another during pregnancy, encounter higher rates of Caesarean section births and a host of other mechanical interventions. It has become anything but a natural process for most women giving birth today.

Women are starting to demand that practitioners listen to their need for a more natural, body-directed pregnancy experience and birthing.

Pregnancy brings with the joys, quite a few physical symptoms that women need to address, including: backaches, headaches, and leg and hip pains.

Shiatsu offers them natural pain relief from these and other pregnancy aches and pains by targeting acupressure points to bring about tension relief and a feeling of deep relaxation. Other issues that can be dealt with using shiatsu are puffiness and swelling caused by water retention.

This often occurs in the feet and lower legs of the pregnant woman, but can also occur elsewhere on the body as well. Shiatsu can stimulate the body to restore it's natural balance. Another common ailment of pregnancy is morning sickness.

This is caused by over-acidity during the first trimester of pregnancy. Over-acidity also causes the woman to experience reduced flexibility, food and other cravings, and an increased bodily tension. When women combine healthy dietary habits with shiatsu as well as stretching exercises like those in yoga they find improved flexibility and ability to manage stress better.

Shiatsu can help keep a woman's body in alignment while it stretches to accommodate the growing baby. During labor shiatsu can help the woman to focus her breathing on the painful parts of her body and increase her natural birth experience.

Shiatsu allows one to have a unique relationship with one's own body in that you are aware of and can enjoy your own energy sources that are a part of who you are. Part of what relieves women most can be the "negative release" they feel when undergoing the massage.

They become one with their bodies instead of being unsure or even fighting what their bodies are trying to do. There was a study done in England where the effects of Shiatsu were evaluated as 66 women progressed through their labors and deliveries at the St. Michael's Hospital in Bristol, England from March through July of the year 2000.

Those participating in the study attended a hospital consultant clinic appointment where a midwife taught them the massage techniques. 

 

Quick Facts About Massage Therapy Creating the Right Environment, for a Massage. Lighting Yes, you probably do want softer lighting. If you're performing a massage on a friend or a lover in your own home, you might want to go the full way and do it by candle-light. (Be sure to place the candles securely, though, keep an eye on them, and don't let them fall over). Scented candles are a good way of appealing to multiple senses. Full candle-lighting might not be appropriate in a lot of situations, but a few candles here and there really do improve the atmosphere. In any environment, though, it is quite important to avoid distracting lighting. At the very least, use up-lighters to avoid a situation where somebody finds himself staring into a light-bulb during a massage.

This midwife had been instructed on the art of Shiatsu during a six-week course. There was a control group of 76 women who attended similar clinics but were not taught the shiatsu techniques.

The group of women who were taught shiatsu was shown how to use thumb pressure at three different body points (gall bladder, large intestine and spleen).

They were taught to hold the thumb pressure on these points until they experienced a "reaction", at which point they were instructed to "work the point" deeper and firmer for as long as she felt comfortable. 

Theraputic Massage Terms and Facts. A head massage can build on a facial massage, combining it with massage of the scalp. This can relieve some of the symptoms of a headache. It can also be very soothing and relaxing, especially when you are tired. The scalp can be massaged somewhat more vigorously than the face itself, but again effleurage should be the main technique used.