Here are a few things to keep in mind before attending a prenatal massage session.

Prenatal pregnancy can stimulate the uterus. While this sounds benign, or perhaps even beneficial, it can be harmful. Various pressure points found in the body can cause the uterus to contract, and possibly induce labor. The best way to prevent this from happening is to seek care from a licensed prenatal massage therapist, who will know to avoid these points.

Miscarriage: There is some debate about whether or not prenatal massage can cause miscarriage. To date, no studies or statistics have been released about massage directly causing a miscarriage. However, some people still maintain that toxins released during a massage can cause one. That said, early labor has been known to result from prenatal massage occasionally.

High Risk Factors: The American Pregnancy Association says that women with high risk pregnancies should ask their doctors before engaging in prenatal massage. These conditions can make the practice unsafe, depending on the woman’s symptoms. Some of these high risk pregnancies may include preeclampsia, previous pre-term labor, swelling, or high blood pressure.

Side Effects: With its many benefits, prenatal massage doesn’t sound that risky. But it can have side effects for certain women, including cramping, nausea, injury, spotting, soreness, dizziness and induced labor. Again, many of these can be avoided by using a licensed massage therapist who knows what to avoid.

To minimize all of these risks, always ask a doctor before beginning a program. During the massage, always lay in a side-lying position; do not let a therapist convince you to lay on your stomach on a special table, which can cause some of the problems listed above.

As with the rest of your pregnancy, drink plenty of water before, during, and after the massage. Wait until the second trimester to begin your session, and do not engage in deep tissue massage.

That said, experts warn that prenatal massage should be given and received with caution. Without the proper precautions, prenatal massage can result in complications–such as discomfort in pressure point areas, stretching of uterine ligaments, and other unpleasantness. In order to avoid a negative prenatal massage experience, be sure to follow the following guidelines.

Talk to your OB/GYN. This is the most important thing you can do before implementing any therapeutic treatments into your pregnancy. He or she especially needs to know about your plans for massage if you have had a pre-term labor before, have recently given birth already, have preeclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertension, have severe swelling or headaches, or have an otherwise high-risk pregnancy. He or she may even be able to recommend an experienced masseuse.

Get an experienced masseuse. The above being said, you need to have someone with plenty of experience with prenatal massage. He or she will know where your pressure points are, how to be careful, and how to make your experience as enjoyable as possible. A certified prenatal massage therapist is typically the best choice.

Be sure to lay on your side during the experience. You already know that this is the safest position to lay while carrying your baby. Be wary of tables that have holes in them to accommodate your bouncing bulge of joy; they can stretch your uterus, make you uncomfortable, and generally are not reliable. If your massage therapist recommends laying on your stomach, you may want to reconsider him or her as your choice.

Besides helping a new mom or mommy-to-be relax and reduce her stress level–and what new mother couldn’t use more calm in her life?–massage–known as one of the oldest healing arts on earth–has many health benefits.

You may have known that fatigue, backaches, headaches and leg cramps can all be helped by massage. But did you know that it can also help combat and relieve morning sickness, heartburn, breast soreness, stretch marks and a plethora of other pregnancy symptoms?

In fact, there are a variety of massages designed just for mothers. While a traditional–but gentle–full body massage can be beneficial, other forms of mother massage include birthing and labor preparation massage, postpartum massage, and nursing massage.

According to Mother Massage, a guide written by licensed massage therapist Elaine Stillerman, massage can help mothers by…

Making Delivery Easier: Self-perineum massage can help increase the elasticity of the area, possibly even warding off tears during birth.

Lessening Edema: If you’ve ever had your legs swell during pregnancy, you know that it can be quite troublesome. Massage can help reduce this uncomfortable swelling.

Stimulating Glandular Levels: Massage can help stabilize those pesky pregnancy hormones.

Increasing Red Blood Cell Count: This can help with anemia as well as fatigue.

Increasing Muscle Tone: This will help with flexibility during labor as well as taming knots and other uncomfortable body spasms or aches.

Increasing Nutrition to Baby: Apparently because massage increases your circulation, it also brings nutrition through your body more efficiently. Who knew?