Pregnancy and The Healing Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage Therapy

Lymphatic drainage therapy can be a safe, soothing, and effective form of detoxifying the body and reducing swelling during and after your pregnancy. The nourishing effects of this gentle technique reach deep. Relief from swelling is an obvious and immediate benefit for mom, while baby receives the increased nourishment of improved blood flow and reduced stress hormones.

The benefits of lymphatic drainage therapy

The lymphatic system’s role in detoxification and swelling reduction

Our lymphatic system is an elegant network of small vessels, ducts, and nodes that affect every other system and organ in our body. Our lymphatics help maintain fluid balance, regulate hormones, digest fat, and remove toxins and waste products that are a normal part of every day life. When there’s extra debris in the tissues, like during and after pregnancy, this can slow our lymphatic system down, creating congestion and a cascade of challenges.

The symptoms that our lymphatic system might be overburdened during pregnancy include: bloating, leg cramping, aches and pains, digestive problems, brain fog, persistent fatigue, and nerve pain like numbness, shooting zingers, and tingling. During and for some months after pregnancy our exercise levels typically go down, and the muscle pump action our lymphatic system relies on for free flow is less active. Our lymphatic river gets sluggish, waste products accumulate, and then small blockages can form like dams to flow. 

Receiving lymphatic drainage therapy during and after pregnancy is a powerful way to promote the vital free flow of our internal immune river, keeping mom and baby healthy, comfortable, and happy.

Prenatal benefits

• Reduce leg swelling, cramping, and varicosities: One of the most common uncomfortable experiences in the second and third trimester is swollen feet and legs. This is understood to be from pressure of the expanding uterus on the vena cava, as well as sodium and water retention. Additionally, hormonal levels of progesterone, estrogen, HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) and prolactin all create changes in the permeability of the vascular wall, promoting leakage into the surrounding tissues. These circulating hormones not only induce swelling, they can create cramping, varicosities, nerve symptoms like numbness and tingling, and a sense of heaviness and fatigue in the legs and feet. Studies have measured the effectiveness of manual lymphatic drainage massage for reducing swelling during pregnancy and found the technique to significantly reduce leg volume and size, improving comfort and well-being..
  • When compression socks just aren’t comfortable: Compression stockings can be so helpful but aren’t always tolerable to wear or possible to get on. If you can comfortably manage them, compression socks can help maintain the swelling reduction from lymphatic drainage massage. And if you can’t, lymph drainage alone goes a long way to reduce leg swelling, nerve symptoms, cramping, and varicosities.
• Eliminate sinus congestion: Drainage of congestion in the sinus area using lymphatic techniques can reduce symptoms of pressure, mucus membrane inflammation, and fluid build-up in even one 30-minute session.
• Improve labor outcomes and newborn health: Reducing stress hormones and increasing blood flow around the lymphatic vessels and ducts flushes out toxins and decreases water retention, promoting a healthier environment for the growing fetus. Lymphatic drainage massage before and after birth can decrease vaginal swelling, risk of tearing, and speed healing of episiotomy.
• Decrease carpal tunnel and nerve-related symptoms: Lymphatic drainage therapy works to improve the microcirculation, removing fluid accumulation that can promote fascial adhesions, making nerve sheaths “sticky” and nerves less able to glide freely. Studies suggest up to 20 percent of women experience carpal tunnel symptoms during pregnancy.
• Alleviate headaches: An amazing number of lymph nodes are responsible for removing congestion, inflammation and accumulation in the head, face, and neck (200-300!). Draining these nodes and the pathways that lead to and from them can create immediate relief. Chronic muscular tension and holding, postural changes that result from carrying an increasing load (baby!) forward of our center of gravity, and the excess hormones circulating in the blood can all build up to create these pre- and postnatal headaches..
• Sleep better: Improving circulation, reducing water retention and waste product accumulation through lymphatic drainage therapy promotes relaxation and an analgesic effect in the whole being. The feeling of lightness that often accompanies drainage can make sleep positioning more comfortable and any amount of sleep more restful.

Postnatal benefits

• Fluid accumulation in the belly: This may not be fat! Cesarean birth scars can interrupt lymphatic flow, causing accumulation of fluid in the belly area that doesn’t seem to want to go away. Even in vaginal births, lymph nodes and ducts can be compromised during pressure from months of pregnancy. Drainage to the lymph nodes, trunks, and ducts of the abdomen and inguinal area, as well as scar work and cold laser application to the birth scar itself, can help return the tummy to pre-pregnancy volume.
• Body swelling: Increased blood flow and the flood of hormones that assist with the birth process create waste products. These can be difficult for the body to eliminate, especially during the first weeks and months after the birth, when moms are less physically active while caring for their new baby.
• Postpartum depression: Helping drain accumulated fluid and waste products with lymphatic drainage therapy can boost dopamine and oxytocin levels, facilitate the removal of stress hormones like cortisol, and foster a sense of reconnection with your body and your center.
• Mastitis and Sore Breasts: Lymphatic drainage massage is a proven technique for reducing uncomfortable breast inflammation, unblocking the milk ducts, and promoting free flow through the lymphatic drainage pathways.

Precautions for any form of prenatal and postnatal massage

As with any therapeutic approach to pregnancy wellness, women should discuss drainage massage with their prenatal care providers. The best way to address the risks of prenatal massage is to be informed and to work together with your medical team.

Women who have recently experienced bleeding, pre-term contractions, or have any of the following conditions should speak with a health care provider prior to receiving a massage:

• High-risk pregnancy
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH)
• Preeclampsia
• Previous pre-term labor
• Experiencing severe swelling, high blood pressure, or sudden, severe headaches

Disclaimer – This blog is for general information purposes only. Furthermore, the information contained in this blog is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare professional for advice on your specific condition.