Let’s cut to the chase; having a baby takes away most of the spare time you thought you had.

If you are a first-timer, you must make appropriate plans to engage yourself in meaningful relaxation activities before the arrival of the baby.

The time frame is shorter for pregnant women who have had kids. Indeed, relaxation techniques are more of needs than a luxury.

While it sounds expensive and far-reaching, there are basic home relaxation techniques that will save you a lifetime of aches in the toughest of times.

Benefits of Relaxation Massage

Relaxation, in itself, is a boon for people that really want to lead a normal and healthy life. So, pregnant women are encouraged to take part in the process as often as possible.

Benefits during pregnancy

• • 1. A better coping mechanism for stress
    2. Improving the general well-being
    3. Reducing anxiety
    4. Affords the body the ability to recuperate from a long day of stress
    5. Reducing stress-induced tiredness and fatigue
    6. Reducing the feelings of pains and aches that are results of muscle tension
    7. Reducing the blood pressure
    8. With visual imagery, you can put your imagination to work. Sometimes, we imagine that we are under intense anxiety, stress, and tension. Positive thinking enables you to harness the power of your mind in a different way by means of redirecting and redefining your imagination.
    9. A relaxed mom confers the restful position on the baby in the womb. There is a likelihood that your baby inherits the stress patterns from you or your partner. But intermittent relaxation helps to reduce the tension.
    10. With adequate relaxation techniques, you can confront anxieties, frustrations, and fear.

Benefits of massage during childbirth(1)

• • 1. Reducing the intensity and harrow of contraction
    2. Results in better labor outcomes
    3. Ensures the smooth progression of labor
    4. Saves more energy for use in labor
    5. Facilitates intermittent resting during labor

Benefits after childbirth

• • 1. When you are relaxed, you can settle with the baby with ease
    2. Aids breastfeeding by inducing the ‘let down reflex’
    3. Ensures you rest after sleep lags

Why do you need to use relaxation?

There are different sources of stress that a pregnant woman may encounter. If you are pregnant or have ever been pregnant, you will understand that the physical, emotional, and spiritual impacts of stress can faze you. But early recognition of the stress factors can motivate the body to encounter them before manifestation.

Physical effects of stress(2)

• • 1. Increased blood pressure and heart rate
    2. Rapid and shallow breathing
    3. Instead of using the diaphragm for effective breathing, you notice that your breathes emanate from the upper chest
    4. A directional pattern of increasing muscle tension
  • • Tightening of the neck and upper back muscles
    • Clenched fists
    • Crossed legs or feet
    • Maintaining a rigid position in a chair
    • Frowning
    • Clenching of teeth
    1. Nausea
    2. Sweating
    3. Dry mouth
    4. Tiredness sets in
    5. Fidgeting

When these stress factors accumulate in a mound, you may be at risk of a terminal illness that leads to death.

Effects on pregnancy

• • 1. A state of prolonged stress may impact a negative effect on the baby
    2. When your system accumulates chemicals and hormones that are induced by anxiety and stress, it is transferred to the baby via the placenta

Effects on labor

Where there is physical tension during labor, you are subject to different feelings:

• • 1. Increased intensity or pains during contraction
    2. You expend more energy than you should; inducing tiredness in a short period of time
    3. Inhibits contraction and slows down the progression of childbirth
    4. Decreased appetite
    5. Inability to sleep
    6. Mood swings and grumpiness
    7. Irritability
    8. Increased drinking and smoking

Types Of Relaxation

There is a wide gap of options for relaxation – from the simple types to the more complex ones; it all depends on your ability. In choosing a relaxation method, check the ones that are super comfortable for your routine.

Meditation

A nagging mind is a reason why your span of attention is divided from your current state of health. You are pregnant and should be getting set for the arrival of your baby, right?

But you cannot because your state of mind is in shambles. What constant meditation does is to help you to confront the nagging.

Once successful, you begin to see that your perceptions are shaped by fears, hopes, and concerns about your pregnant state – “Can I withstand the pain of childbirth?” “Am I truly ready for the birth of my baby?”, and more.

Meditation is all about active work; the act of softening your mind and bringing the object into focus. A distraction is not condoned.

Meditation has many advantages. While it helps to restore mental, emotional, and physical health, it also helps to control many disorders in lifestyle and psychosomatic disorders such as high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, coronary artery disease, and rheumatism that are common in pregnant women. (3)

In this very stressful life, meditation is a powerful weapon or antidote that reduces acute and chronic stress. It also improves your concentration and sharpness.

Your reactivity to situations is reduced, which allows you to remain serene in the most difficult times.

There shouldn’t be anything deterring you from a much more enlightened state. You should know that it is a negative thought. The good news is that meditation and spirituality are the best of friends.

You can be connected to a higher realm of spirituality during this meditation practice.

When you’re engaged on a regular basis, you will create an opportunity for your mind to be calm and you can detach from your ego and uncover the veil which shields you from being yourself and from connecting with your highest self.

Meditation practice gives you the benefit of turning inward to your spirituality for answers, instead of looking to others.

 Have you ever had trouble making a decision about the right vs. wrong choice for your baby wears, family life, or overall happiness?

Have you ever been compelled to be part of something larger than life as you know it, but you can’t put your finger on what that means, exactly?

Spirituality is beneficial as it helps to search for answers by you instead of imploring others to look for them.

Have you ever made a decision about your relationship, your career, or your overall happiness, all by yourself? Have you ever been a victim of compulsion and you had no idea what it is?

When you meditate, you can improve your state of loneliness or longing. You can experience some form of interconnection with other people as with your higher self. Also, you can improve the joy you feel and be void of fear and anxiety.

All of these convert you into a ready mom. Your baby will need that.

Physiological relaxation

Physical or physiological relaxation impacts physical effects on you.

All you need do is to swing to different sides and move your body in response to release the tension. For instance, you may eliminate your hunch by dropping your shoulders.

It becomes easier with constant practice whenever you find yourself in a tense state. Your brain sends a signal that you have pent-up tension in your body. In such a case, sway your body to the opposing direction.

Breathing awareness

With stress, you find yourself holding your breath at regular intervals.

And when you place your focus on the breath-in, relaxation becomes more difficult. To attain a state of relaxation, you may release some tension by breathing out consistently. (4) Try out a ‘BIG SIGH’ and watch how your body reacts positively.

Furthermore, you can slow down your breathing by focusing more on breathing out which increases the efficiency of your diaphragm.

Once you focus on breathing out, your breathing moves to the lower chest immediately and this restores a feeling of comfort.

Visual imagery

This is perhaps the simplest of all the techniques of relaxation.

You may stare at a mental picture for ample time – such as imagining staying in a choice position in a favorite location, listening to the chirping birds, smelling your favorite grilled chicken from a mile away, and relishing the moment.

Your partner may also help you with his voice to aid in painting better pictures of relaxation.

Techniques of stress relief

Most times, a simple reminder to help you relieve the harrows of stress can be of great help. If there is something you enjoy doing the best, engage some more with it. For instance:

• • 1. Exercise – Take a stroll through the green gardens and soak in some fresh air as you move.
    2. Massage – With or without the aid of your partner, place both hands on your nape. Then, massage in circles – spread three fingers to the base of the skull and massage deeply.
    3. Break time – Stop your sessions for another 300 seconds by sitting or lying down.
    4. Deep breathing – Take a deep breath and hold. Slowly and steadily, blow out the air through the mouth. Stoop your shoulders and feel the tension abandon your body.
    5. Enjoy a spa or bath – Pregnant women are usually unfit for spa treatments but baths are considerably convenient.
    6. Grab a cup of tea, coffee, vegetable juice, or water.
    7. Engage in interesting hobbies and activities.

Exercise

Despite the reaction of many women towards exercises, you cannot deny that it acts as a stress buster. You may enjoy a change of scenery by swimming, cycling, or simply walking.

Exercise affords you the opportunity to reduce your susceptibility to muscle tension when you burn up all that energy.

Massage

Massage is beneficial in several ways than one. It helps you relax your muscles as it improves your blood flow.

Focus areas are mostly the shoulders, the neck, and the whole body. Usually, this should be enough for a proper relaxation mood.

Most pregnant women enjoy foot massages during and after childbirth. The other ones enjoy back massages during childbirth to aid the process of child delivery.

You can learn a few techniques for giving massage strokes online. You needn’t have an expert if you must enjoy the massage.

Fortunately, there are simple massage tools that will come in handy during a massage such a squash and tennis balls.

Touch relaxation

By applying a gentle pressure onto your body, you can move into a more relaxing position.

This comes in handy before you enter labor to help you manage the expectations of labor. It is also a useful method for your partner to be of assistance during the process of childbirth. However, some women detest touches during childbirth.

Group relaxation

If there is a group near you, you may join them to practice the principles of relaxation.  Sometimes, this may be a great way to take some time to tend to your personal needs.

You should know that constant practice brings about a more defined relaxation pattern especially when you need it the most during and after childbirth.

It may not be easy to start on a speedy note from the start but you can infuse it into any of your daily activities when you least expect it.

If your intention is to use relaxation during labor, you should practice a lot while you are pregnant because it naturally settles you into the process.

After partaking in different methods, you should understand which suits you best. More so, you should practice in different positions because you will do the same in your labor ward.

Make sure you don’t restrict your techniques to a particular position so that your body isn’t too dependent on it.

Another tip is to practice in the presence of noise. During labor, the surroundings will be noisy and non-relaxing as there will be doctors, midwives, and caregivers.

Best times to practice relaxation(5)

• • 1. Before you fall asleep while lying down to take a nap
    2. While practicing breathing relaxation techniques before labor
    3. While in the waiting room
    4. During vaginal examinations
    5. After childbirth, while breastfeeding your baby
    6. When you practice relaxation before the process of breastfeeding

Relaxation techniques: practical examples

• • 1. Assume a comfortable position and stoop your shoulders
    2. Outstretch your fingers and lean back in the chair
    3. Inhale deeply as you exhale immediately. During the process, try to empty your lungs
    4. Follow normal breathing for a few minutes and release tension with each exhalation
    5. Maintain your position for one, two, five, or ten minutes depending on the amount of time you have before another interruption. Every one minute renders a luxurious feeling as you take short breathes.

First-timers will find the method very helpful to ease the delivery and care of the newborn.

Word From Us

Relaxation massage

When you have extra time in your hands, this is an alternate and longer form of relaxation.

Assume a comfortable position on the couch, floor, or bed; allowing your body ease into the new position. In a case where you are on your back, you must roll out your legs.

For pregnant women above 16 weeks, you may lie on your side and place a pillow between both legs for extra comfort.

Make sure that both legs are resting appropriately. For the time being, relish the moment of having some weight taken off your legs by proper support. The last thing you need is a hindrance.

Imagine being in a position where you feel exhausted because you sat on them throughout the day; you wouldn’t even allow anyone to massage you as such. Now, imagine someone is trying to restore a feeling of relaxation on both legs.

Also, try to picture someone massages your lower legs and calves if they feel weary.

Slowly, the blood moves back into our feet and legs. As you maintain that position; watch the energy return to your body like a lost soul. Exhale and inhale steadily.

If there is more time, let your arms, upper back, and head go heavy. Imagine someone massages both your shoulders and neck and watch the tension escape your nerves immediately.

As blood flows through your veins, you will notice a slight change in the feel of your fingertips, arms, and neck. The energy returns as you inhale and exhale consistently.

If there was anyone who could render a free or quick massage like this, let them in on the immense benefits. the best option, as expected is your partner.

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