Anyone Do Massages ??

[MsSharLee]

I'm not sure this is the right place for this thread ...

For Christmas our family does a gift exchange and everything has to be either re-gifted item, something you got for free or a hand made item. You can not spend more than $5 and that can only be to enhance your gift. i.e. a frame for a photo

My DIL is 6 months pregnant and I would like to give her and my son a personal package for their gift which will include lotion, massage oil, shower gel etc. that I made. I'd like to also add a booklet that has instructions on how to give a massage at home.

So I'm wondering if anyone can give me some general steps for a "proper" massage that I can type up. I did some searching on the internet and found some information, but, I am not sure what essential oils would be frowned on since DIL is expecting.

She is allergic to coconut so I figured Sweet Almond Oil would be a good base to make the massage oil .. I was going to infuse the oil with lavender or add a few drops of lavender EO

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[krissy]

doing massage on someone who is pregnant has its own set of rules.

there are some cool books at Barnes & Noble that explain how to do a home massage and usually come in a nice little kit too. they are usually under $20.

maybe you can make up the oil and get your ideas from the book at the store.

 

[From the Hart]

ha this prolly won't help now, but maybe for next christmas. My aunt is a massage therapist and she only uses jojoba oil, it works into the skin because it is similar to the natural oils your body makes. Jojoba oil is also hypoalergenic, so she doesn't have to worry about her customers breaking out. Nice soothing essencial oils are those like lavender, chamomile, or rosemary oils.

 

[MsSharLee]

ha this prolly won't help now, but maybe for next christmas. My aunt is a massage therapist and she only uses jojoba oil, it works into the skin because it is similar to the natural oils your body makes. Jojoba oil is also hypoalergenic, so she doesn't have to worry about her customers breaking out. Nice soothing essencial oils are those like lavender, chamomile, or rosemary oils.

Thank you. My DIL had the baby 2 weeks ago so I may do something for her for their anniversary next month. I will keep this in mind.

 

[fiddletree]

Rosemary essential oil should NOT be used on pregnant women!! It is a pretty strong emmenagogue. Apparently it *could* be used after the first trimester in a normal pregnancy, but who wants to do anything that could risk a miscarriage?

Products for pregnant women are best left unscented.

 

[LauraHoosier]

I infused rosemary and mint into a balm I made and it has helped with my leg cramps, back aches and swelling in my ankles. I tried it on a whim because I read it increases blood flow (maybe that's the reason to not use it while pregnant) and it works great!

I take muscle relaxers, mild ones, and they aren't cutting it when I can go to bed and can feel the cramp starting up almost bone deep in my upper calf so I rub the balm on it and it goes away and I can go to sleep and not worry about waking up to a pulled muscle. As long as it's not contra-indicated for nursing mom's this might be good for a new mom with sore, tired muscles.

 

[saltydog]

I know I'm seeing this thread way too late for Christmas, but I happen to be a licensed massage therapist and just had to chime and and say that krissy & fiddletree are correct, pregnancy massage has a set of rules all its own!

The only eo I use on my-moms-to-be is lavender, and even with lavender, I make sure it's minimal and well incorporated into my massage cream. Other than the use of eo's, there are plenty of techniques you can safely perform on a pregnant woman, but there are certain precautions you need to be aware of. Some of which include positioning, pressure/direction, certain descending points and avoiding the use of heat.

Unfortunately, miscarriages are common, so I always err on the side of caution with my prenatal treatments.