Pregnancy Massaging Therapies


Prenatal Massages Reduce Your Side Effects

Prenatal Therapeutic Body Work in Fuquay-Varina NC

Pregnancy Massaging Therapies

Many women, during the course of their pregnancies, seek holistic approaches along with their traditional health care.  Prenatal treatments are an alternative medical therapy that can help to lower the stress associated with the whole process. Even more, it improves the functions of the joint and muscle which are undergoing new sources of stress.  It can also help with improved blood circulation and alleviate physical and mental fatigue.

Studies indicate that prenatal massaging can reduce anxiety, decrease symptoms of depression, relieve muscle aches and joint pains, and enhance labor results and newborn well-being. A therapist providing you with expert massaging can help with distinct needs through varying techniques which aim to relax muscle tension and enhance lymphatic and blood circulation through light pressure applied to the muscle groups of the human body. This is the recommended prenatal body work method during pregnancy because it addresses many common discomforts related to the skeletal and circulatory changes brought on by hormone shifts during pregnancy.

What are the benefits of your Pregnancy Massages?

Our focused services will provide therapeutic bodywork to improve the physical, structural and the overall mental well-being of women as they move through all three trimesters.  A normal prenatal treatment, which should ONLY be performed by a therapist specifically trained in prenatal massages, will focus on your  new physical challenges. The process can create new problems for the mother-to-be – for instance, pain in the lower back, pelvis or hips from new posture and overall functional changes.  Knowledgeable and trained therapists accentuate approaches to increase the tension reducing effects to relax the mother-to-be and increase the uterine blood circulation for the best fetal and maternal success.

Studies done in the past 10 years have shown that hormone levels related to relaxation and pressure are significantly changed, leading to mood regulation and improved cardiovascular health, when this kind of therapy was introduced to women’s prenatal care. In women who received biweekly massages for only five weeks, hormones including norepinephrine and cortisol (“stress hormones”) were reduced and dopamine and serotonin levels were increased (low amounts of these hormones are related to depression). These changes in hormone levels also led to fewer complications during arrival and fewer cases of newborn complications, for example low birth weight. The evidence points strongly to maternal and newborn health benefits when therapeutic body work is incorporated into regular prenatal care.

Our specialized prenatal therapies provide specific health benefits appropriate for each trimester. Regular treatments will help to relieve morning sickness issues, relieve headaches as well as lessen fatigue in your first trimester. Massaging can also provide relief for back pain, stiff necks, and those painful leg cramps in the second trimester. Finally in the final trimester, continued treatments can help decrease any edemas or swelling of the legs, relieve overall pain, assist in preparing your pelvic muscles for the actual childbirth process and even help you get better sleep!

Edema, or swelling of the joints during pregnancy, is frequently due to reduced circulation and increased pressure on the major blood vessels by the heavy uterus. Therapeutic bodywork helps to stimulate soft tissues to reduce collection of fluids in swollen joints, which likewise enhances the removal of tissue waste, carried by the body’s lymph system.

Other potential benefits of prenatal therapeutic bodywork:

  • Alleviates stress on weight-bearing joints and musculo-fascial structures
  • Assists in remedying many of the common discomforts experienced during pregnancy: muscular discomforts, lower-back pain, upper-back pain, headaches, leg cramps, sciatica, stiffness, tension and knots, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, heartburn and acid reflux, fatigue, varicose veins, nasal congestion, shortness of breath, edema of the lower extremities, neck pain, interscapular pain, sacroiliac and hip joint pain and constipation
  • Increases blood circulation, which provides more oxygen and nutrients to both mother and fetus and stimulates the lymph system, thereby increasing immunity and removal of toxins
  • Stabilizes hormonal levels and helps relieve depression or anxiety caused by hormonal changes
  • Soothes and relaxes the nervous system by releasing endorphins into the mother’s body. As a result, the expectant mother feels more relaxed and at ease, and will also sleep more easily and more deeply
  • Assists in maintaining good posture and adjusting to a changing alignment caused by the baby’s increasing weight. Therapeutic bodywork increases muscle tone and flexibility, enhancing the ability to carry this extra weight while also relieving aches and pains, leg cramps and muscle spasms
  • Eases the load on the heart and helps keep blood pressure in check
  • Enhances the pliability of skin and underlying tissues
  • Supports the return of blood to the heart and increases blood flow to the uterus and placenta. With the enormous demands placed on the circulatory system during pregnancy, blood volume may increase up to 60 percent compared to pre-pregnancy levels. As pregnancy progresses and the uterus enlarges and presses deep into the pelvic bowl, venous return to the heart is hampered
  • Prepares the mother-to-be for an easier delivery with its sedating effect on the nervous system, promoting relaxation and stress relief
  • Offers a natural, safe, drug-free alternative choice for pain relief, since taking medications are often limited during a pregnancy for the sake of the unborn child
  • In addition to the physical benefits, prenatal massages provides expecting women with the emotional support and nurturing touch provided by nonsexual human touch and energy.

Pregnancy Massaging Techniques (YouTube)

Prenatal Massages are NOT replacements for regular care

Massages during Pregnancy

Prenatal Massaging

Do not believe that our prenatal therapies are in any way a substitute for thorough and qualified medical prenatal care by a regular doctor or OB/GYN. We strongly suggest that before you start any prenatal therapies with Van Deusen, that you do talk to your obstetrician. You should additionally make sure that your therapist is trained to perform this type of massaging technique.  Not just any therapist should be attempting this type of treatment.  Massages during pregnancy can have serious effects on both mother and baby. Your therapy should be immediately stopped if you encounter any symptoms like an increase in abdominal pain, vomiting, heavy discharge of blood or water, fever,  or high blood pressure. Learn about our most popular body work therapies – Fuquay-Varina Massages