Frequently Asked Questions
What can a Certified Prenatal Massage Therapist can do for you?
During Pregnancy: Safe, drug-free relief of aches & pains, reduce swelling, ease pressure on the sciatic nerve, learn relaxation skills for labor, prepare your body for delivery, assist circulation, release emotional tension, improve sleep patterns.
Postpartum: Restore muscle tone to abdomen, stimulate the uterus to return to its pre-pregnant size and position, alleviate muscle pain from postural shifts, fuller breasts, and weight of carried infant.
What a labor support provider does not do?
Perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, fetal heart, checks, vaginal exams, etc. I am there to provide only physical comfort, emotional support, and advocacy.
Make decisions for you. I will help you get the information necessary to make an informed decision, and will remind you if there is a departure from your Birth Plan, but you are responsible for making your own decisions.
Speak to the staff on your behalf. I will discuss your concerns with you and suggest options, but you or your partner must speak on your behalf to the medical staff.
If I have a doula what is the fathers role?
He is face-to-face, holding hands, and giving emotional support to his wife, while I am relieving any back pain and observing for tension in other areas of her body. I am also able to offer suggestions of other ways that he can help his wife. The facts are that most childbirth education classes do not teach a lot of coaching skills, but rather teach the technical aspects of childbirth. Having the father present does not diminish the need for a doula. Likewise, having a doula present does not diminish the role of the husband. Instead, it can enhance his role.
Are you affiliated with DONA, ALACE, CAPPA, ICEA, or any other doula certifying organization?
We are not. Those agencies certify for doula labor support only, and do not include prenatal, postpartum, and infant massage, nor do you need to be a massage therapist to take their training. The training I recieved was designed specifically for massage therapists who wish to incorporate prenatal massage, and labor support into their services.