Pregnancy tips Massage In Pregnancy

I recall being a little stiff when I was pregnant. Part of it was because I was afraid to move around too much. this article talks about some of the possible benefits of massage in pregnancy:

Pregnancy and Massage (www.webmed.com)

From the article:

Pregnancy Massage: Possible Benefits
There have only been a handful of small studies that focus on massage in pregnancy. And so no definite benefits have been established. But one study at the University of Miami School of Medicine suggests that massage therapy during pregnancy might have multiple positive effects, including:

Lowered anxiety
Decreased back and leg pain
Improved sleep
Decreased levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine
In another study of pregnancy massage in depressed women, researchers found:

increased levels of the "feel-good" hormones serotonin and dopamine
decreased levels of cortisol, an indicator of stress
an overall improvement in mood
Research has shown that, for the general population, massage has other potential benefits. For instance, it may relieve pain, or it may boost the immune system to fight off viruses and tumors.

Pregnancy Massage: Safe Techniques
There are more than 80 types of massage taught in roughly 1,300 massage therapy programs in the U.S. Examples of common types of massage include:

Deep-tissue massage, with firm strokes pressing deep into muscles
Swedish massage, with long strokes to muscles and attention to joint mobility
Shiatsu, with pressure and tapping on acupressure points to stimulate the body's natural energy (called qi)
From a scientific standpoint, the mechanisms that make massage therapy work are still largely unknown. More research is needed to understand how applying different types of manual pressure to the body can:

Relieve pain
Stimulate the release of certain hormones like serotonin
Improve sleep
Promote the physiological response of relaxation