2ww and massage

[Anonymous]

Is a massage safe to get during the 2ww? I scheduled one thinking it would take my mind of off things but a friend told me to cancel it.....

[Anonymous]

Depends where in 2ww you are. If it's the first week, the massage is safe. But if you are past 9 dpo mark, I would not chance it since during the massage, pressure on certain points can trigger uterus contractions, thus an early miscarriage. Of course, this is only my opinion.

[Anonymous]

When I was in massage school (2000), my prenatal massage instructor was certified as a labor and delivery nurse, a doula, and a massage therapist and was partner in a massage practice that specialized in pre- and post- partum and labor massage. She was also about 6 months pregnant with her second child at the time she was teaching us. I mention all this to underscore the fact that my understanding of the topic comes from a well-informed source.

At that point in time, nobody was making the sweeping generalizations about avoiding massage in the first tri that we commonly hear now. I think this has sprung from 1) an overabundance of caution and 2) a fear among massage therapists (MT's) that they could be sued if a woman had a spontaneous abortion / miscarriage following a massage. There would be no way to prove whether the massage was or wasn't the causal factor, so many MT's protect themselves by simply not offering massages to women in the first tri.

For women who have a high-risk pregnancy or a history of them and women who have a history of early miscarriages, I believe it is best to avoid massage in the first tri. Also, for any woman, regardless of history, who feels that the massage or other therapeutic modality would cause more anxiety than relaxation, I advise waiting until the second tri when the pregnancy is more established and the risk of miscarriage is lower.

For all other women, I believe that massage in the first tri is safe and beneficial provided that 1) she sees an MT who is specifically trained in pre-natal work and 2) she informs her MT that she is or may be in the early stages of pregnancy.

There are some reflexology zones and acupressure points that are reputed to stimulate uterine contractions and potentially jeopardize the pregnancy, as the PP noted. MT's trained in pre-natal work know where these areas are and scrupulously avoid them. The real danger of these points may be less than originally believed, however, as studies in which these acupuncture points were treated on women who wished to terminate their pregnancies did not show the procedure to be very effective in causing abortion. Appropriately trained MT's also know to avoid deep pressure on the lower back and abdomen of women in early pregnancy. Outside of these contraindications, massage should be very safe and might even improve the odds of conception and maintenance of the pregnancy by inducing a relaxation response.

[Anonymous]

It's just me here talking, but I wouldn't risk ANYTHING during 2ww. You never want to look back and think what if. Save that massage for if you a) get pregnant and can go for a pregnancy massage later on in pregnancy or b) don't get pregnant and want a pick me up.