Romantic Pregnancy Massage
How To Plan A Great Massage For A Woman Who Is Pregnant:
What about a Heartbeat Lamb?
If you are pregnant now, we could record the heartbeat of your soon-to-be born baby and put it in our cute and cuddly lamb. That would be a great way to "introduce" your son or daughter to their coming little brother or sister!
Check out this gift idea.
1. Set The Mood: Prepare the room and the ambiance, make sure the room is neat and tidy. Make the bed. Shut the curtains, and remove any electronic distracting devices like a phone. Find some soothing music to play softly. Light a candle or two. Buy 2-3 roses already in a vase and set them out. A little extra effort in setting the stage will make her feel really cared-for. The romance will be in gear immediately when she steps into the room.
Using the floor is the best for the actual massage, but if you feel she would be more comfortable on the bed, then use the bed. If using the floor, place a quilt or duvet on the floor. Wherever you will be, cover the area with a large plush towel (or several) that is nice, not shabby (remember we are setting a mood here). And have several extra towels ready to cover areas of her that might get cold. And check the temperature of the room to be sure she will be comfortable in it. A cold woman is not a comfortable nor romantic woman!!
2. Position: For a pregnant woman, usually the most comfortable position is on her side using pillows for propping. A recommended strategy is to use 6 pillows; Place two large pillows in an upside-down V, then she lies on her side with her armpit resting where the pillows intersect. Adjust the pillows to support her tummy and back comfortably. Prop two pillows under her head. Her bottom leg should be straight on the floor, while her top leg should bend at the knee and be supported with the remaining two pillows.
3. Massage Oil: Do not use any special massage oils, for two reasons; 1. Many pregnant woman's sense of smell is exaggerated so odors that normally might be fine can irritate at this time, and 2. Some oils can be dangerous to the baby.
Do warm your hands by rubbing them together, and if you feel they are not gliding, use a small amount of baby oil, or lotion. Begin by warming the oil in your hands, then spreading it over the skin area to be massaged using smooth strokes to spread the oil for a few minutes before massaging. This is both sensuous and important for creating a suitable massage surface, so don't skip over it.
4. Back Massage: You do not need to include the entire body in the massage; you might just do 1 or 2 areas. Always ask before you move to a new area, and keep the attention to a specific area brief. You are not trying to tire her out. A key area that is often sore or achy for a pregnant woman is her lower back. So my suggestion would be to tell her you'd like to start with her back. Or alternatively, start with feet, move to legs, and end with back.
To give her a great lower back massage, use a soft fist (not clenched), and visualize a raindrop, which is the shape you are going to trace on her back (we are avoiding the spine.) Run your knuckles in a curve starting at her neck and gradually curve outward, going down her back to her hips, cross over to the other hip and go back up in the direction of the neck, but only a third of the way until you reach the base of her ribs - which is now the top of the raindrop (the point). Then from there you can repeat the raindrop shape, going down and out to one hip and then across, and then curving back up to the top tip of the raindrop. So we are massaging the lower part of her back only. Do this several times, and then move on to another area.
5. Leg Massage: Remember to tell her you'd like to massage her legs and be sure she is okay with it. Massage of the legs is great for increasing blood flow and reducing swelling. The massage should be on the outside of the legs only, and it should be gentle. Always massage in the direction of the heart, so with an upward motion. Take a loose fist and do long, gentle strokes along the outside of her thighs and calves or smaller, circular motions starting at her foot and going toward her bottom.
6. Hands and Feet: Once her back is feeling better and her legs are more relaxed, you can use massage to reduce swelling in her hands and feet. As with leg massage, your goal should be to get her blood circulating, moving fluid away from her toes, fingers, hands, and ankles. Again, always begin massaging at the end of the fingers and toes and work toward the center of her body, or the heart.
7. Finale: At this point, you might be ready for more romantic touching for the both of you (but remember to not push - this was not your goal; your goal as the person delivering the massage was just to give her a great massage end of story.) Or a warm bath shared jointly might be fun. The rest of the evening is up to you.
Some last precautions; It is probably best to wait until the second or third trimester before using massage on a pregnant woman. If at any time she experiences tenderness, or light-headedness, stop the massage.
Author: Robin Badillo