Myth: Many women either avoid getting a massage out of fear that it can trigger labor early, or they seek out massage to start labor once the due date has passed in order to avoid an induction.
Where it comes from: There are acupressure points throughout the body that can affect certain organs. However studies have shown that these points can strengthen contractions after labor has started. There is also the thought that massage can relax muscles, increase circulation, and mess with hormones to stimulate the uterus to start contractions.
Fact: Massage alone can not start labor from scratch. Acupressure points need very specific pressure in a specific spot for a specific amount of time in order to "activate", and regular relaxing massage, especially by a professional who specializes in prenatal massage can't do anything that medically can get labor to start. What massage CAN do (if the due date has passed and the body is ready) is to help the body to relax to a state of calm that can signal to the proper systems that it is safe to get labor started. The human body knows that labor is a big deal, and it does not like to do "big" things while in a state of tense stress. Massage can relax the body and calm the mind which can then help labor get started on it's own. Likewise, massage is not an "eject" button that can start or trigger labor too soon.
