Busting Prenatal Massage Myths #4: You can't get a good massage on your back

Myth: Many women avoid even considering getting a massage because the belly bump makes it difficult to lay flat face-down, so they don't think they can get a massage on their back. This can be frustrating because all parts of the back can hurt at different stages of the pregnancy, and can benefit greatly from a prenatal massage.

Where it comes from: Anatomical common sense dictates that a big belly makes it difficult to lay on your stomach. It is commonly believed that if someone wants a good, deep massage on the back (which is what really hurts), the only way to do that is to press down on a flat back, so no other techniques are going to work the same way if you can't get into that position.

Fact: Massage Therapists can position a pregnant woman on her side to fully access and massage her back while keeping her belly supported. A massage chair is also an option for back massage. There are massage products out there such as tables, cushion systems, and pillows with holes in them that make it seemingly possible to still lay on the stomach to get a massage despite the big belly. I am not an advocate of these products, nor do I teach that it is safe to use these products because of many factors including proper support for the belly and the basic physics of added body weight plus massage pressure on top of the belly and baby,. (See my article: "Holes are for Donuts, not Massage Tables") However there are therapists out there that swear by these products. Nonetheless, there are many (safer) alternatives to get a good, effective back massage.