The Library

Pregnancy & postpartum

Guides for every trimester and the months after birth, sourced to obstetric guidance.

24 pages

Blood clots and prenatal massage: why we screenBlood clots and prenatal massage: pregnancy and the six weeks after birth raise clot risk, so we screen your legs and never massage one with clot signs.
C-section recovery and lymphatic drainageC-section recovery takes weeks. When gentle lymphatic drainage can ease swelling around a healed incision, what we avoid, and the infection signs to act on.
Can massage start labour?Can massage start labour? No: Cochrane found acupressure had no effect on induction, and massage trials showed fewer preterm births. What actually works.
Carpal tunnel in pregnancyCarpal tunnel in pregnancy comes from fluid and hormones pressing on the median nerve at the wrist. Night splints come first, and most cases ease after birth.
Diastasis recti after pregnancyDiastasis recti after pregnancy is a stretched midline, not torn muscle. How common it is, the home check, why exercise helps and massage does not.
Headaches in pregnancyHeadaches in pregnancy are common early on and usually ease. Non-drug care first, paracetamol if needed, and the red flags that point to pre-eclampsia.
How you lie on the table in prenatal massageIn prenatal massage you lie on your side, sit semi-reclined or lean forward seated, never flat on your back after the fourth month. Why, and how it works.
Insomnia in pregnancyInsomnia affects about four in ten women in the third trimester. What helps: side-lying with pillows, evening habits, and what massage trials showed.
Leg cramps in pregnancyLeg cramps in pregnancy strike the calf at night in the third trimester. What Cochrane found, the NHS stretch routine, and how calf massage is adapted.
Low back pain in pregnancyLow back pain in pregnancy affects more than two-thirds of women. Why it happens, why exercise ranks first, and where massage, physio and acupuncture fit.
Lymphatic drainage during pregnancyManual lymphatic drainage in an uncomplicated pregnancy is light, side-lying work on the legs, arms, face and neck. What one small study measured.
Massage after birth: when to startThere is no fixed waiting period for massage after an uncomplicated vaginal birth. How to judge readiness, what a postnatal session does, and the red flags.
Massage in a high-risk or twin pregnancyMassage in a high-risk or twin pregnancy is not a blanket no: the trials excluded complicated pregnancies, so we ask your obstetric team and adapt.
Massage in the first trimesterMassage in the first trimester is unstudied rather than shown harmful: no trial started before 12 weeks, and massage is not a listed cause of miscarriage.
Massage in the last weeks before labourFrom 36 weeks, massage is about comfort and preparation, not induction. What it eases, what to teach a birth partner, and when to call the hospital.
Massage in the second trimesterMassage in the second trimester is the best-studied window: trials from 12 weeks found less back and leg pain, anxiety and stress. How the session is set up.
Massage in the third trimesterMassage in the third trimester continues to term: side-lying or semi-reclined, shorter holds, help for swelling and sleep, and the warning signs to know.
Massage while breastfeedingMassage while breastfeeding suits the neck, shoulders, arms and back. Why a lactating breast is never massaged deeply, and the signs of mastitis.
Pelvic girdle pain in pregnancyPelvic girdle pain in pregnancy is pain at the pubic bone or back of the pelvis that bites on stairs or turning in bed. What the guidelines recommend.
Sciatica in pregnancySciatica in pregnancy is burning pain shooting from the buttock down one leg. Why the nerve is irritated, what eases it, what massage can do, the red flags.
Swelling after birthSwelling after birth: how to tell ordinary puffy feet and a sore perineum from postpartum pre-eclampsia or a clot, what eases it, and the checks to keep.
Swollen feet and ankles in pregnancySwollen feet and ankles in pregnancy come from extra fluid and a womb that slows blood leaving the legs. What eases it and the warning signs.
Varicose veins in pregnancyVaricose veins in pregnancy appear because the uterus slows blood leaving the legs. What helps, what is safe to massage, and when a sore leg means a clot.
When to wait on prenatal massageWhen to wait on prenatal massage: bleeding, placenta previa, pre-eclampsia, ruptured membranes, preterm labour or a painful calf. What we ask and offer.

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