Pregnancy can be beautiful… but let’s be honest — swollen legs, lower back pain, cramps, nausea, and struggling to get comfortable are all very real too 😅

Having been pregnant twice myself, I completely understand that feeling of wanting someone to just stretch your back, lighten your legs, and help your body relax for an hour.

Pregnancy massage is a gentle treatment designed to support the changing body during pregnancy and may help ease some of the most common discomforts.

Morning Sickness and Nausea

Massage cannot cure morning sickness, but creating a calm environment, gentle breathing, upright positioning, and relaxation may help the body settle a little.

Pressure Points for Nausea

Pericardium 6

Located around two finger-widths above the inner wrist crease between the tendons.

Gentle pressure here for 1–2 minutes is traditionally used for:

• nausea
• travel sickness
• pregnancy sickness

(You may have seen travel sickness wristbands — they work around the same area.)

Spleen 4

Located on the inside of the foot, just below the base of the big toe.

This point is also traditionally associated with helping:

• nausea
• digestive discomfort
• unsettled stomach sensations

Apply gentle comfortable pressure while breathing slowly and calmly.

Shortness of Breath and Rib Tightness

As pregnancy progresses, many women begin feeling tightness around the ribs, chest, shoulders, and upper back as the body makes room for the growing baby.

Gentle Technique for Rib & Chest Expansion

A lovely gentle technique used during pregnancy massage is gentle shoulder and rib mobilisation combined with deep breathing.

While lying comfortably on the side:

• the shoulders can be gently mobilised and opened
• gentle stretching movements may help release tension through the chest and rib area
• slow deep breaths are encouraged throughout the movement

Another lovely technique is gentle “raking” movements between the ribs using open fingers to softly stretch the intercostal muscles (the muscles between the ribs).

This may help:

• encourage deeper breathing
• ease rib tightness
• reduce upper body tension
• create a feeling of more space through the chest and diaphragm area

Everything during pregnancy massage should feel comfortable, gentle, and supportive.

Lower Back Pain and Pelvic Tension

Lower back pain is probably one of the most common pregnancy complaints. As the body changes and the pelvis becomes more mobile during pregnancy, many women experience tension through the lower back, hips, glutes, and side waist muscles.

One muscle that often becomes very tight during pregnancy is the Quadratus Lumborum (QL) — a deep lower back muscle that can create aching, pulling, and side lower back discomfort.

Gentle Techniques That May Help

During pregnancy massage, gentle side-lying techniques may help release tension and improve comfort, including:

• gentle gliding compressions around the lower back and hip area
• soft circular movements to encourage circulation
• gentle traction and stretching movements
• warming friction over the sacrum and lower back
• gentle glute massage if the muscles feel tight

Simple Self-Help Stretch

While sitting or side-lying:

• slowly reach one arm overhead
• lean gently to the opposite side
• take slow deep breaths into the ribs and waist

This can feel especially lovely for tightness through the side waist and lower back area.

Leg Cramps During Pregnancy

Leg cramps — especially calf cramps during the night — are another very common pregnancy symptom. And honestly… they can be brutal 😅

Gentle Things That May Help

• gentle calf stretching
• hydration
• ankle movements before bed
• light massage around tight muscles
• gentle upward strokes to encourage circulation

Pressure Points Sometimes Used

Some therapists may also use gentle acupressure points around the legs, including:

• Bladder 40 – located behind the knee
• Bladder 56 – located in the middle of the calf muscle
• Bladder 57 – located lower down the calf, above the Achilles tendon

Gentle comfortable pressure may be held for up to a minute while encouraging slow breathing and relaxation.

Simple Stretch

A simple helpful stretch is gently pulling the foot upward toward the shin to lengthen the calf muscle.

Important

Never massage directly into an active cramp — this can often make it feel worse.

Pregnancy Massage in Glasgow East End

Pregnancy massage treatments are available at:

Lymph and Scar Therapy

14 Rogart Street, Glasgow G40 2AA

Instagram:
@vaida_lymphandscar

Important

Pregnancy massage may not be suitable for certain medical conditions or high-risk pregnancies. Always speak with your healthcare provider if you have any concerns or unusual symptoms.