How to Give a Great Hand Massage
We’ve talked at length about how helpful massage is at helping a person relax in labor. Sometimes, a laboring person’s back might not be well accessible, and that might be your ‘go to’ option for relief and support. Luckily, even in a secure resting position, hand massage is always a great option for helping increase relaxation, as well as giving the laborer’s brain some distraction from other sensations and discomforts.
Also, tension can be extreme in the hands if the laboring person is gripping someone’s hands, bedrails, shower rails, or the like, and creating a release here can be extremely therapeutic.
We like to teach our families the ‘breaking the popsicle’ trick, both in prenatal visits with their doulas, and at our comfort measures workshop. This can be done either during, or between contractions, according to preference.
Here are some steps:
1. Face the person in labor and take their hand in yours with palm facing down. Encourage the laborer to have their arm drop and totally relaxed.
2. Grab the hand so that your thumbs are touching behind the wrist. Use your pads, not nails to press fingers into the palms.
3. Increase pressure to the preference of the laborer (it might be a LOT of pressure) without releasing or moving your hands. If laborer’s hands are swollen or tender, the amount of pressure desired will probably be much less, so make sure to check in for feedback!
4. Slowly move pressure up towards the wrist to provide the same type of pressure upwards towards the tendons of the wrist.
5. Repeat on both hands after repeating this motion several times.
A hand massage can be focusing while laboring down towards the end of the dilation stage of labor, or if the laboring person is extremely nauseous. Sitting on a birth ball, or in throne position in the bed after receiving an epidural, this can be comfortably performed by you or your doula while you’re in a seated, supported position.
Using hand massage can greatly connect you to your partner during your birth experience!
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