First Trimester Massage, who knew?

mindaa · October 2014

Well, not this lady. I had booked a Groupon Couple's Massage last night and was rejected when I showed up and indicated on the info form that I was PG. They won't do work until after the 1st trimester, because it is such a "delicate" time. Did some research and apparently that is a common practice, though considered pretty outdated and unfounded. Really just wanted my back worked on, and I don't really understand how that would present a risk. Must have been a lawsuit many years ago, so now everyone needs to cover their a$$.

Big bummer and waste of time for DH and I as well as the therapists who lost a session.

supersarah77 · October 2014

That's a bunch of malarkey. I'm sorry you missed out on a massage.

BSTmama · October 2014

The therapist are afraid of being sued if a miscarriage happened (alhtough the massage wouldn't be responsible for it). I had seen the same therapist for YEARS so when I got pregnant she had no problem giving me 1st trimester massages....I know the MC's are due to hormone imbalances and genetic mutations, not massages so she knew I would never dream of sueing if a MC occurred. But some people are always looking for someone to blame and sue the massage therapist. The good news is you have 2 more trimesters to enjoy massages.

travelnut11 · November 2014

I had massage all the way through my first trimester at the local Massage Envy and they were very cool about it. I expected them to say no but she said it's just fine to do...just low to no pressure on the lower back and something about a spot on the ankles to avoid? It was totally fine and relaxing. I stopped when my MS got bad for a few weeks but am ready to get back to it and just need to make an appointment now that I'm feeling back to normal. If you really want a massage just keep calling around as I'm sure you'll find someone who will do it.

ewenner · November 2014

That sucks! Thanks for sharing - now I know to ask a place ahead of time before I make an appointment to make sure they're comfortable doing it.

mattandlora · November 2014

I had massages at Massage Envy during my first trimester too. I was annoyed, because mine were for migraines and neck tension. Pre-pregnancy, I always went to the same person for that, who is quite good. But that person isn't trained in prenatal massage and couldn't do it, so I had to go to someone else even though the reason for my visit had nothing to do with pregnancy.

niknak1208 · November 2014

I've never had one in the first trimester but I had one oh a day before I delivered my son. It was fantastic! She did say that there are a lot of pressure points that can induce labor.. asked if I wanted her to work on those points.. being that I was 39 weeks pregnant.. but I said no. It scared me a little bit even though I went into labor that night anyways so it didn't really matter. lol

That said, it was literally like heaven! I don't think I've ever been that comfortable or relaxed in my life. I loved it. I wish I would have done it with my daughter.. maybe I'll remember to do it this time.

stacylynnn · November 2014

My OB said it is fine during the 1st trimester as long as I don't get a "deep tissue" massage. I:m so glad because I have been experiencing unrelated back pain since January of this year.

harmonicbabe26 · November 2014

Hmm just now reading this thread and I am feeling tempted to go get a massage next week. DH got me a Massage Envy giftcard last Christmas and I never had a chance to use it before we got prego (Feb).

@niknak1208‌ how did they do your massage at 39w? Were you on your back? Side? Just wondering about a comfy position.

Would love to try something but wondering if I should maybe save it for after baby instead if it's not as thorough as a typical massage... I usually have them work my shoulders and back which obv would not happen this time...

travelnut11 · November 2014

@harmonicababe26 You should call and ask them what it would be like at your stage. I got a massage this week and they had two different contraptions ready for me since they didn't know how big I'd be. One was a foam type thing where you lay on your side which is what I used since I'm only 16 weeks. The other contraption had a giant hole in the middle and I think it was for ladies with bigger bellies so they could be on their stomachs. I will say the side massage definitely can't access as much of your back and shoulders as a regular massage would but maybe with the giant contraption it could be similar to a normal massage? It's worth a phone call to find out.

mindaa · November 2014

stacylynnn said:

My OB said it is fine during the 1st trimester as long as I don't get a "deep tissue" massage. I:m so glad because I have been experiencing unrelated back pain since January of this year.

Hmmm... I'm going to be sad if they won't use deep pressure (even though I'll be in 2nd tri). If the pressure isn't enough, I just get ticklish, which makes me more tense than I was when I started!

thiscoffeechick · November 2014

That happened to us in Hawaii when I was only 5 weeks pregnant. Showed up for the appointment and got turned away. We were on our Babymoon.

bukah · November 2014

You just have to be sure that the therapist is trained in prenatal. I also go to Massage Envy and I just have to be sure that i book with a therapist who is prenatal trained. Or you can always look online for spas that offer a prenatal massage in their list.

Want a personalized experience?

First Trimester Massage, who knew?

Re: First Trimester Massage, who knew?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards