Massage Supports Emotional and Physical Health in a Pregnancy after Stillbirth

The present study observed the effects of massage in supporting a mother in her pregnancy after a previous stillbirth. The client’s goal varied throughout her pregnancy, but her primary motivation was to help manage the anxiety and stress of pregnancy after a prior stillbirth.

The study rendered a 32-year-old pregnant woman seven massages over a seven-month period. It evaluated the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW) outcome at each session to identify the client’s concerns at that time point. It also received written feedback from the client just before her delivery.

The study found concerns about anxiety, sciatica, stress, shoulder tension/soreness, and a lack of sleep in the client. She showed a decrease in each concern after each treatment over the seven sessions and improved well-being after each session. She also self-reported that the massage helped her cope, firmly quoting: “I’m not sure how I would have coped if I didn’t have her sessions.”

This investigation suggests massage as a treatment option for providing physical and emotional support in women experiencing pregnancy after stillbirth.

Fogarty S. The Use of Massage to Support Emotional and Physical Health in a Pregnancy After Stillbirth: a Case Study. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. 2022 Mar 2;15(1):46-53. doi: 10.3822/ijtmb.v15i1.695. PMID: 35280244; PMCID: PMC8887859.