Is Foot Massage Safe During Pregnancy?

Is Foot Massage Safe During Pregnancy? Since many women experience very intense pain when they are pregnant, they believe that getting a massage can make their bodies to relax. Although foot massage is very tempting, you may wonder if it is safe for pregnant women.

The good thing is that if you can avoid specific areas of the foot which can trigger cervical ripening and uterine contractions, you will find foot message to offer you a soothing effect.

However, it can be safe for pregnant women to approach professionals to offer them a massage. Certified massage professionals in Singapore have enough training and knowledge regarding how a foot massage should be conducted.

What are some of the advantages of foot massage for pregnant women?

i) Women who are suffering from depression can boost their mood by undertaking regular foot massages. This will assist them in delivering a healthy baby.

ii) Foot massage can induce a peaceful and calm feeling, thereby ensuring balanced mental health. This is very vital especially for first-time mothers since anxiety and stress will be minimized.

iii) Since there is a lot of fluid retention when one is pregnant, it can lead to vein compression due to pressure applied by the growth of the uterus. Therefore, by undertaking a regular foot massage, pregnant women can get some relief as the level of blood circulation will be increased.

iv) Medical experts in Singapore have found that babies whose mothers were messaged when they were pregnant, they have a high likelihood of being born maturely and have high birth weight. Such babies also have low levels of cortisol.

v) Women who undertake a foot message usually experience a short labour period of about 3 hours and do not need a lot of medicine once they give birth. Such women also have better sleeping patterns which required for the development of the baby.

What are some of the risks pregnant women can experience if they undertake a foot message?

Although foot massage can offer a lot of relief to pregnant women, there are some risks which are associated with this activity. Some of them are:

Risk of deep vein thrombosis

This kind of condition usually occurs due to clotting on blood in the veins which are located in the legs. Many pregnant women can experience such a condition in one of their legs. When one has such a condition, offering a foot massage can cause a lot of harm.

This because when pressure is applied to the veins, it can make the blood clot loosen from the veins and start to move to the circulatory system. Once the blood gets to the lungs it can block the heart from pumping blood. This can later lead to other complications such as embolism.

In case you have a warmer, swollen, or reddened spot on your foot, then you should also avoid getting a foot massage. This is because you may make that area to swell more and cause greater damage to your body cells.

What are the areas that you should avoid when performing foot message?

There are 3 main areas of the foot that must be avoided when a message is offered to a pregnant woman.

i) Urinary bladder 67

This is the famous acupressure point for stimulating contractions so that the baby can get in the right position for delivery. This area is located near the toenails.

ii) Urinary bladder 60

This part is located between the main bone and Achilles tendon, that is behind the ankle bone. It’s mainly used when a woman is in labour to relieve pain. Thus, you should try to avoid that area.

iii) SP6 acupressure point

It’s located at the inner ankle bone. When messaged it can stimulate the lower abdomen, therefore it cannot offer any benefits to a pregnant woman.

Women who have experienced the following conditions are recommended to seek the advice of a medical practitioners in Singapore before they get any message.

• Preeclampsia
• Experienced sudden severe headaches, high blood pressure on swelling on their feet.
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension
• High risk of pregnancy
• Previous pre-term labor

Is Foot Massage Safe During Pregnancy? – Conclusion

Foot massage is an important activity that can enable pregnant women to relax their muscles. Also, foot massage can assist in ensuring that women have physical balance, reduced levels of stress, and good mental health.

Furthermore, the message will not only make the woman happy but also the infant.