Is pregnancy making your tired- but you just can't sleep? It seems unfair that when you need sleep the most, it escapes you. Pregnancy massage can help to restore your natural sleep patterns.

Studies have shown that women who receive regular massages experience labours that are on average 3 hours shorter than women who did not get massaged.

The same study showed a reduced need for pain medication for the women who had had massages.

Massage increases your blood circulation, which is good news for you and the baby. Fresh oxygen and nutrients get delivered more efficiently to your cells, providing better nutrition.

It also helps reduce varicose veins, a common pregnancy side effect.

When you're pregnant you produce more blood, which puts pressure on your lymphatic system. This can result in swollen ankles and sore legs or joints. A good massage can reverse this problem.

If you're feeling stressed or anxious during pregnancy, massages can induce a sense of calm and relaxation because they work on your nervous system.

Pain in your lower back or hips is an unfortunate side effect of pregnancy. Your body produces relaxin, a hormone that softens your ligaments in preparation for childbirth.

However this also means that you can strain your back or feel tension around your hips. Massage will help with this.

Massages work on your endocrine system and its associated glands, which stabilises and reduces the stress hormones going to your baby.

Because massage reduces your cortisol levels, it results in less activity in the womb, and a lowered chance of premature birth.

You will be leaning over a lot once baby has arrived, so a massage will prepare the area that is likely to get the most strained.

Massages help to soften the muscles around the lungs and thoracic area, which in turn results in more oxygen for you and your baby. This will help during pregnancy and childbirth.