Midwifery and Pre-Perinatal Massage: Importance for Pregnant Woman and Fetus

Joint Meet on 13^th World Congress on Traditional and Complementary Medicine & 34^th World Congress on Pharmacology

August 16-17, 2021 WEBINAR

Yeliz Cakir Kocak

Midwife, RM MSc PhD, Ege University Faculty of Health Sciences, Midwifery Department, �°zmir, Turkey

Keynote: J Pharmacogn Nat Prod

Abstract :

The review aims to give some information about pre-perinatal massage and its importance for pregnant women and fetuses. It is widely well-known that the nourishing touch provides an enjoyable experience for mothers and babies while improving health outcomes for mothers, babies, and also their families. However, evidence-based studies show that pre-perinatal massage therapy delivered by a nurturing touch benefits pregnant women and their babies. Studies show that massage therapy applied in the pre-perinatal period has positive effects on pregnant women and their babies; reduction of anxiety and/or depression, improvement of mood, reduced anger, better sleep quality, waist, back and/or leg less pain, more positive birth experience, more positive birth perception and less pain in labor, reduced fatigue, increased comfort, decreased stress hormones, less prenatal distress and more prenatal attachment, reduction of physiological lower leg edema, fewer complications during labor, better neonatal outcomes (less prematurity and low birth weight, better adaptation and motor response), a healthier immune system in babies and mothers. The pregnancy period is important due to the presence of one (or more) individuals in the woman's body and the physiological and psychological changes that occur accordingly. It can respond to the emotions of the mother of the fetus in the prenatal period, and exposure to maternal prenatal distress increases the risk of psychopathology in the pediatric period. For this reason, the physical, mental and social comfort of the woman is important in maternal and fetal terms during pregnancy. Although it has proven physical and psychosocial benefits for both mother and baby, it should be administered with the doctor's approval in highrisk pregnancies or mothers and babies with medicalcomplications. Midwives as a healthcare practitioner, they should do their best to support and care for pregnant women and promote their health by nurturing touching massage techniques, even during social barriers such as political, religious, and cultural conflicts, and other challenges caused by the pandemic.

Biography :

She is a midwifery research assistant and a lecturer in Health Science Faculty at Ege University. Also, she is a pre-perinatal massage therapist. She has science of master degree about antenatal education at Midwifery Department also doctorate degree about prenatal massage therapy at Women Health and Diseases Nursing Department. Yeliz works in academia for 16 years after working in the clinic for 2 years and conducts qualitative methodology. Midwifery education, pregnancy massage, culture, women's health, women studies, gender, domestic male violence to women and professional midwifery organization are the fields of her academic study. She has been a researcher in many national and international academic studies and projects. Yeliz is a Founding Board Member in 2014 of Association for Education, Research and Development in Midwifery (AERDM). Also, she is a member of Turkish Midwives Association and Anatolia Midwives Association. She is married and has two children. Orcid: 0000-0002-8674-909