A Healer's Hand + The Nest

Mental Health Care

Helps with stress, insomnia, increases energy, lowers anxiety, and depression, stabilizes mood.

Stress relief on weight bearing joints (ankles, lower back, and pelvis)

Low Back Pain

The sciatic nerve stems from the low back and extends all the way down to the feet. In late pregnancy, sciatica can be caused by due to inflammation in the sciatic nerve. This can result from swelling and water retention in the body and growth of the uterus and baby. These things combined, aid in increased pressure in the low back and pelvic floor. Massage can address the inflamed nerve by releasing tension in the surrounding tissues and muscles.

Research and Prenatal Massage Studies Indicate That Massage Therapy Performed During Pregnancy Can Reduce Anxiety

Decrease symptoms of depression, relieve muscle aches and joint pains, and improve labor outcomes and newborn health. Massage therapy addresses different needs through varying techniques, one of which is called Swedish Massage, which aims to relax muscle tension and improve lymphatic and blood circulation through mild pressure applied to the muscle groups of the body.

Turkish Researchers Randomly Divided 80 Pregnant Women into Two Groups

A study group that received a 20-minute foot massage daily for five days, and a control group that did not receive any intervention beyond standard prenatal care. "Compared with the control group, women in the experimental group had a significantly smaller lower leg circumference (right and left, ankle, instep and metatarsal-phalanges joint) after five days of massage," according to an abstract published on www.pubmed.gov. "The results obtained from our research show that foot massage was found to have a positive effect on decreasing normal physiological lower leg [edema] in late pregnancy."