Pregnancy Massage Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction

Massage Therapy continuing education CEs earned: 4. The average massage therapist should expect to devote one clock hour for every CE credit earned, based on NCBTMB calculations. These are online, home study CEs. 

Course classification: Cognitive (course materials consist of concepts related to massage therapy but do not teach a specific hands-on modality).  It is classified as "General" for CE Broker purposes.

Approved by: This course is approved by the NCBTMB as of February 13, 2024, and is valid for all states that accept NCBTMB approved courses. This course is approved through CE Broker as course # 20-1131146, and through them, it is valid for Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Tennessee. 

This course is approved with the state board of New York as of June 27, 2024 and through our current provider approval period which is valid through June 30, 2027. 

Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by the NCBTMB (Provider #280672-00) as a continuing education Approved Provider. Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by Florida (#MCE-326), and New York (#0019). Our courses are also valid for AMTA, ABMP, and most individual states. Some states limit how many hours can be done online or by home study. Please refer to our State Guidelines section for specific information about your state. Laws can and do change, and your state will hold you responsible for knowing the laws that apply to you.    

CE Broker Reporting: Institute of Somatic Therapy will automatically report your hours to CE Broker in applicable states ONLY IF you have provided your license number in your online account with us. You can verify your license information by logging on to our website, and reviewing your account information. If your license is not shown there, please select “edit” to include it. We generally report to CE Broker 2-3 times per week. 

Once the course shows in your online account with them, you will have an opportunity to rate it. If you were happy with the course, would you be so kind as to take a few minutes to share that with others? If you were not happy, please share specific ways in which you feel that we can try to improve. Thank you.  

Tuition: US $39    NOTE: Sign up on this page if you want to take ONLY this Pregnancy Massage Myths course. This course is included in our Prenatal Massage Specialist package. With the package, you will save 13% off of the three courses that are included in the package, which will also give you online certification capability (saving a manual processing fee).

Instructor: Judith Koch Stapleton

Course Description: There are many ideas in the public square regarding pregnancy massage and its safety (or lack thereof). Many spas and massage establishments refuse to perform prenatal massage during the first trimester. Some refuse to perform any deep tissue massage, while others refuse to perform any abdominal massage in any stage of pregnancy. Some say that during pregnancy you have to avoid massage in various places, ranging (depending on who you talk to) from the feet and ankles, legs, abdomen, low back, and shoulders – essentially the entire body except the arms, and maybe some people say that, too.

Rumors and concerns about massage or reflexology for the feet is another concern. Common concerns might be: Can reflexology cause a miscarriage in the first trimester? Can massage cause preterm labor in the second or third trimester? Does bodywork increase morning sickness? These are all rumors and myths that we will study in this course. 

Which of these ideas are based on fact, and which should be relegated to the trash heap of old disproven wives’ tales? As a massage therapist, are you contributing to the spread of false information, either by word or action? The purpose of this course is to look at the facts and fiction on each of these concerns. All of our sources are from published medical research. It is imperative that massage professionals are united with a cohesive message, rooted in fact, regarding pregnancy and its benefits vs. risks.

The purpose of this course is to help establish the legitimate concerns about pregnancy massage, but just as importantly, if not more so, to establish the truth about common myths and misconceptions regarding the safety of pregnancy massage.

Learner Objectives: 

To be able to list common concerns about pregnancy massage, and provide scientifically-backed data to determine if it is a genuine safety concern as opposed to an incorrect myth. Concerns covered include:

• First trimester massage
• Morning sickness
• Abdominal massage
• Deep Tissue Massage, Stone Massage, release of toxins
• Massage to the feet and ankles (reflexology, acupressure)
• Massage to the legs
• Massage to the low back
• Massage to the shoulders
• Five areas of concerns cited by pregnant women when receiving massage

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:  

Do I have to be a licensed massage therapist to take this course? No, in fact, we would love to have this course information in the hands of as many people as possible, to help dispel the many myths about pregnancy massage that are repeated frequently.

I am currently enrolled in massage therapy school. Is it possible for me to take the prenatal massage package while I am in school still? Yes, you are welcome to begin taking the courses now. Many people do just that. The advantages to an early start are that the minute you do have your license, you’ll be certified and ready to “hit the ground running” in your chosen specialty. Just be aware that you cannot legally practice if you do not yet have any massage license that the jurisdiction where you live requires.

Do you offer installment payments or financing? We accept credit cards, so you can make payments to your credit card company as it fits your budget. We do not offer private financing.

Do you offer this seminar in a live classroom setting, or only online? This course is offered online. We are not doing live seminars at the time. 

How long will it take me to complete this course? The number of massage continuing education hours awarded was determined by the NCBTMB, although not everyone reads and studies at the same rate. Some massage therapists report that they are faster or slower than the number of CEs awarded. The theory is that it should take the average person one clock hour for every CE earned, so a 3 hour course should take you 3 actual hours to complete. You can work on it at your convenience and set your own schedule. Just be sure to complete the course within one year of enrollment, or it will expire.

Are your online courses downloadable to my computer? You must be logged in on our website to view at least some of the course materials. Many of our courses do have some downloadable files attached. 

Will your online courses work on my phone, tablet, or other device? Yes. We invite you to take our free sample course so that you can personally test if the online content and streaming video work on your device.

Can I review the course materials after I’ve completed the test? Yes. Even after completing the test, you will have the option to access the online course materials, print another CE certificate, or review your test results. We promise this access for at least one year. We have always exceeded that time period, however, technology updates sometimes make older data inaccessible, so we do not promise more than one year. For this reason, we recommend that you save copies of your certificates and any downloadable PDF files that you may wish to access indefinitely.

Can I print the online test to work on it at my convenience? Yes. We provide a study guide with this course that has the test questions and answer choices. You can print it off and work on it as you study. When you are ready to take the test, you will log into the system and supply your answers to the test questions.

What happens if I fail the test? Do I have to pay again? No. If you happen to fail our test, you can continue to retest until you do pass at no additional charge.

Do you report our course completions to the NCBTMB, ABMP, AMTA, or any other agencies? None of these agencies have a method for us to report to them on your behalf. They prefer that you provide the evidence of CEs that their renewal process details. CEBroker is the only agency to whom we report, for the limited number of states that use their reporting system.

To contact the Institute of Somatic Therapy about this or any other massage therapy CEU course, please go to the "contact" link above. Thank you.