And Pregnancy with Lymphatic Drainage?

This’ll be the last post about pregnancy for a while (unless you ask for more…) but I’ll just finish discussing my various modalities used during gestation.

Is lymphatic work safe during pregnancy? Yes, as long as there are no other complications and we avoid deep abdominal work. Again, you must tell your therapist you are pregnant. Lymphatic work is generally safe for most people and, before starting, your therapist will ask various questions about any problems with renal (kidney) function, thyroid function, history of tuberculosis, cardiac oedema and pregnancy. A positive answer on any of these will alter the treatment.

Why have a treatment during pregnancy? Well, some people have an existing oedema and may need help on an ongoing basis with returning fluid to the blood. This could be in an arm or leg. Pregnancy is the not the best time to consider a detox, so I wouldn’t advise a drainage during gestation for this purpose.

If you have swelling in your legs (cankles) that is purely linked to the pregnancy, drainage may help but it will most likely only bring temporary relief. The lymphatic vessels are fairly delicate and are quite easily compressed. The swollen uterus full of fluid and foetus pushes downwards into the bowl-shaped pelvis and compresses blood and lymphatic vessels and also nerves. This limits the amount of lymphatic fluid that can return to the blood. While I can drain this away, a short stint on your feet will likely see it return. If you are doing pregnancy yoga or Pilates, this can very useful as the exercises are often done on the floor, and if in a dog-pose, allows the weight of the uterus to fall forward and decompress the pelvic region. This is a little more like our four-legged ancestry!

What about Bowen Therapy in Pregnancy?

The obvious question to come off the recent post about massage during pregnancy is the implications for Bowen Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage in pregnancy. Today I’ll just deal with Bowen Therapy.

One of the wonderful things about Bowen Therapy is that it is safe to use on everyone from newborns to the elderly. Therefore Bowen is perfectly safe for use during pregnancy as long as we avoid the few procedures that engage the coccyx (tailbone). Procedures around the coccyx reflex to the uterus and can potentially cause miscarriage, so once again you must inform your therapist if you are pregnant, even if you aren’t up to the second trimester.

Bowen is otherwise fantastic during pregnancy as it helps to balance out the body and relieve tensions as things shift and move. The sacral procedure is fantastic for the lower back pain and pelvic instability that can arise and the procedure for the vagus nerve may be of use for morning sickness.

If you are considering pregnancy, it can even be useful to get your body balanced out before starting, particularly if you have a history of coccyx damage. I’ll discuss fertility protocols in a future post!

Massage in Pregnancy

I’m often asked by pregnant women (and their partners) if they can have massage during pregnancy. They are often told by doctors, nurses or great aunty Valmai that massage is dangerous. That isn’t entirely true.

If your doctor or obstetrician has given you a direct instruction to not have massage then you must follow that, but if you have just found it amongst some general advice then appropriate massage should be safe.

There are certain pressure and reflex points on the body that can link to the uterus and should be avoided during pregnancy. As long as you go to a qualified therapist (you can always ask to see qualifications and association membership) and tell that therapist that you are pregnant, then massage should be perfectly safe for you. For this reason, it’s probably best to go to a professional rather than get your partner to give you a rub. Also, only a qualified aromatherapist should use essential oils with you during pregnancy as many are contra-indicated.

If you are still concerned, then maybe avoid massage during the first and third trimesters as these are least stable periods of gestation. Wait until after your 13 week check. And if you are ever concerned, talk to your therapist and your doctor. That’s what they are there for.

Why massage during pregnancy? Well, your body is undergoing many changes during this time and there is a great deal of stress on it. As well as hormonal changes and the possibility of tiredness, there is a great change in the weight-bearing of the structure. Swelling breasts and belly both put new stresses on the spine and associated muscles and can create much new tension. Also, as the pregnancy progresses, ligaments can soften and structures can move, creating new tensions, especially around the pelvic area. Finally, the way you use your body can also change. As the belly grows, many women adopt something of a duck-walk which can tighten the deeper glute muscles and create sciatic pain. Of course, the world doesn’t stop just because you’re pregnant, so there is still a job, stress, exercise and housework to all take their toll.

Some practitioners work with a special table with a hole cut for the belly. I tend to start the massage seated in a special chair for back and neck and then progress to side-lying for glutes, legs and lower back. This will vary from therapist to therapist – some are pregnancy specialists.

Just remember to always inform all practitioners that you are pregnant, even when tradition dictates to keep it to yourselves, and if you are at all concerned, talk to your doctor!