Pampering During Pregnancy

Finding out you are pregnant often means finding out you can no longer engage in some of the activities you once enjoyed, like sharing a bottle of pinot noir with your husband over dinner or indulging in the occasional 5-o’clock martini after work. Some activities, like smoking and drinking, are known dangers. But what about one of the most popular indulgences of the pampered mom-to-be: the pedicure?

It’s always smart to talk with your doctor about anything you are putting in—or on—your body during pregnancy. You may feel silly doing so, but calling your doctor’s office with a question is always better than relying on inaccurate information. Like many pregnant women, I would often turn to the Internet to find the answers to my more benign pregnancy questions. After all, I reasoned, my doctor was busy delivering babies, she didn’t need me calling with a silly question about toe nail polish.

Indeed there are several great resources on pregnancy available on the Internet. This group, for example, is fortunate to have the knowledge of Harvard Medical School physicians. But sources of misinformation about pregnancy abound. Friends, family members, strangers in the supermarket, and strangers online, can all be sources of misinformation. As a result, you may be avoiding things you can enjoy.

When I was pregnant with my second baby, on a trip to the Caribbean, I scheduled a pedicure appointment at a resort spa. I was visibly pregnant at the time and was shocked when the spa attendant told me she could soak my feet and polish my nails, but she would not be able to give me the requisite foot massage. At first I thought there was some sort of language barrier. Wasn’t the foot massage the point of the pedicure? My feet were killing me and I had been anticipating that massage all day! What did she mean she couldn’t give me one because I was pregnant?

I asked the spa manager what the problem was and she explained to me that foot massages were believed to bring on contractions. I had regularly indulged in pedicures with my first pregnancy and no one in America had ever mentioned this to me. Was this a cultural belief or was I asleep when the headlines about pedicures and pregnancy were published?

Turns out some massage therapists and reflexologists believe that a pressure point between the anklebone and the heel directly correlates with the uterus and the vagina, and that heavy pressure could induce labor in the third trimester. Yet there appears to be little scientific evidence to support this claim.

One important note: full body massages are to be avoided during the first trimester and should be administered in the second and third trimesters by massage therapists trained in pregnancy massage, only.

I still indulge in the occassional pedicure, although it's often hard to find the time! What’s your favorite way to be pampered?
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Are you trying to conceive or are you in the beginning stages of pregnancy? Do you feel excited, daunted or confused? Join Moms2B, a group to learn about prenatal care and share your pregnancy "firsts" each step of the way. To join, click here.