When I was pregnant with my first child, prenatal massage saved my sanity. The first 20 weeks were a breeze—no nausea, no problems, other than being a little tired. I had that air of superiority, thinking about what a bunch of wimps my friends were—the ones that had lamented over how difficult it was.

Then, I turned the corner. Around 30 weeks, just as I was getting pretty excited about being on the downhill slide, I began to feel it. My pelvis ached since Junior decided he liked to ride low, my legs blew up like balloons—I went up a whole shoe size!—and I just felt beat up all the time.

Tylenol had been okayed by my doctor, but I was really making a big effort to keep everything about this pregnancy and delivery as natural as possible. I gave up caffeine and everything else, so I certainly wasn't going to take any medications as long as I could muscle through on my own. But, I had to admit, my resolve was weakening.

Then, after one of my monthly appointments, the nurse suggested going to get a prenatal massage. I wondered if it was safe or how I might feel about getting a massage when my body was so out of whack. She assured me that it was safe, and encouraged me to look into it. So I did. And what I read really clicked with me. It was a very natural approach to alleviating most of my symptoms (which were completely normal and benign, nothing I could get an early delivery for, trust me I asked). I made an appointment and made a day of it.

This prenatal massage was like heaven on earth. I felt fantastic for an hour and even felt the effects for several days following. My mood lifted, my circulation improved, my swelling decreased, and I just felt so great! I even scheduled another one before I delivered.

So, knowing what I know now, I want all my friends to have that experience. Prenatal massage did wonders for my aches, but it also helped me set my mind right to get through the anxious last few weeks.