Pregnancy Massage

1. Position the expectant mother in a way that she feels comfortable, but completely avoid making her fly flat on the stomach; for example placing her knees on the floor with her chest and arms resting on the cushion of the sofa.
2. Rub the back, but mainly the lower back as the pain in felt maximum over there.
3. Make sure to rub the back in a circular motion , and gradually progressing from the lower back upwards on the spine; including the surrounding areas of the spine.
4. Rub the shoulders as well.
5. Tissues that are swollen due to the accumulation of lymphatic fluids can be relieved by applying pressure with the fingers on the either side of the spine, just above the pelvis area. The fingers can be padded in a circular motion to cause relief.
6. As a result of the finger movement the expectant mother may feel a sensation on the area where the lymphatic fluids, but there is nothing to fear as it is only the excessive lymphatic fluids fluids being washed away.
7. Always use your thumbs to massage the arch of the pregnant woman’s feet.
8. Apply gentle pressure on the area on the adjoining area between the toes and the foot. Apply the pressure with gently with the thumb and fingers.
9. Gradually go up to the dents of the ankles and the dents of the knees, right up to the point below the shoulders, in a horizontal line along the collar bone. This procedure will allow the lymphatics to get flushed from the body.
10. This will help the expectant mother to use the toilet if done correctly.

• Lamaze Breathing is deep breathing technique for pain management mainly practiced by women who want to experience natural labor and childbirth.
• Lamaze Breathing exercises are also practiced during labor.
• This breathing technique helps to shift the focus of the pain during labor.

2. Hydrotherapy or Balneotherapy:

• Hydrotherapy is applied correctly on the expectant mother, reduces pain in the body considerably.
• Immersion baths are helpful during the time of labor as it quickens the process of child delivery.
• Pregnant women should limit their time in the tub to about two hours for maximum benefit and keep the water temperature under 100 degrees.
• Scientific studies have proven that a bath in the tub is safe as it does not enter the vagina.
• Sterile Water Block is a non narcotic pain relief, its a new technique invented for pain relief from kidney stones. However if inserted with injections under the skin around the sacrum or lower back with sterile water, it helps the back during labour.

3. Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation ( TENS ): TENS involves the use of electrical current in order to make certain areas of the body numb. The technique works to soothe pulses along the surface of the skin and nerve fibers as well, so it prohibits pain signals from reaching the brain, and also stimulates the body for the addition of endorphins ( a neurochemical in the brain that has analgesic properties).

4. Acupuncture:

• Acupuncture involves the placement of needles in certain points in the body which,results in pain relief. Pregnant women usually receive several treatments in the last few months of pregnancy, which result in a smother, less painful birth.
• It is therefore believed that needle penetration, at least to some degree provides additional support as one of several means of treatment of PGP ( pelvic girdle pain ) in pregnant women.