Pregnancy massage is typically geared towards a mother who is expecting but it depends on the style. Some people will say no massage once the mother reaches the third trimester. It depends on the depth of the massage, style of massage and the skill of the practitioner but often times a pregnant woman will begin to experience various discomforts as her body adapts to the growing infant. There can be a lot of low back pain. There can be a lot of different types of trauma. There are various massage therapists who have additional specialized training which is important to work on pregnant women in order to provide massage during the pregnancy. The massage will either be side lined on massage table where various cushions will be placed underneath the knees to help the woman stay comfortable and/or a specialized massage table that actually has foam inserts that can be removed so the woman can be positioned on her belly. It can settle down through the table and just hang in free space or on some gentle support. Also depending on the expertise and skill in the training of the massage therapist, they can also do a little bit more specialized gentle massage on the abdominal area doing some very light palpation of the fetus. Overall typically it supports the mother and the changes and discomforts that she faces during pregnancy.
