Massage Therapy CEs | Prenatal/Doula/Infant Courses

Prenatal Massage Techniques

Why Learn Pregnancy Massage? As a pregnancy massage instructor, I’ve witnessed firsthand how learning this specialized skill can transform not only the lives of expectant mothers but also the careers of massage therapists. Pregnancy massage is not just a therapeutic service—it’s a vital practice that offers physical, emotional, and mental benefits to mothers while opening up unique opportunities for therapists to grow their practice and make a meaningful impact. Let’s explore why adding this skill to your repertoire is so rewarding and essential.

What Sets Pregnancy Massage Apart? Pregnancy massage focuses on addressing the unique physical and emotional challenges faced by expectant mothers. Unlike traditional massage, this practice requires careful adaptation to the mother’s changing anatomy and needs, ensuring both safety and comfort. As a massage therapist, mastering these techniques allows you to provide a service that is both nurturing and effective.

As awareness of holistic health grows, more expectant mothers are seeking safe and natural ways to manage pregnancy-related discomfort. This rising demand makes pregnancy massage a valuable specialization that sets you apart from other therapists in your field.

Benefits of Pregnancy Massage for Mothers

When you master pregnancy massage, you’re not just offering relaxation—you’re providing targeted care that profoundly improves a mother’s well-being. Here are some key benefits your future clients will experience:

Relieving Back and Joint Pain: Back pain and joint discomfort are among the most common complaints during pregnancy. Your skill as a pregnancy massage therapist will help alleviate these issues by easing muscle tension, improving flexibility, and reducing strain.

Reducing Swelling and Enhancing Circulation: Swelling in the feet, ankles, and hands can make everyday activities challenging for pregnant women. With the right techniques, you’ll help reduce edema and promote healthy circulation, which also benefits the baby by improving oxygen and nutrient flow.

Promoting Relaxation and Emotional Well-Being: Pregnancy can be an emotional journey. Through massage, you’ll help mothers lower stress hormones and boost endorphins, providing a calming experience that supports mental health and builds trust between you and your clients.

Why Therapists Should Specialize in Pregnancy Massage

A Growing Niche in the Wellness Industry: The demand for pregnancy massage continues to rise, creating opportunities for therapists to expand their client base. By specializing in this field, you’ll become a go-to professional for prenatal care, building long-term relationships with clients who may return for postpartum recovery or recommend your services to others.

Differentiating Your Practice: Adding pregnancy massage to your skillset helps you stand out in a crowded market. Whether you work in a spa, wellness clinic, or independently, offering this service makes your practice more versatile and appealing.

A Rewarding Career Path: Few things are as fulfilling as supporting mothers through one of the most transformative periods of their lives. Pregnancy massage allows you to provide tangible relief and comfort, creating a lasting positive impact on both the mother and her baby.

Essential Skills and Knowledge for Pregnancy Massage

As a pregnancy massage instructor, our courses emphasize the importance of understanding these key aspects of prenatal care:

Adapting Techniques for Safety and Comfort: Pregnancy massage requires modifications to traditional methods. You’ll learn to avoid certain pressure points, adjust positions for comfort, and ensure every technique is safe for both mother and baby.

Recognizing Pregnancy-Related Conditions and Contraindications: Not all clients will have the same needs or challenges. During training, you’ll gain knowledge about common conditions such as sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, and swelling, allowing you to tailor your approach to each individual. You will also learn how to recognize and critical contraindications that a client may develop during pregnancy.

Mastering Communication and Empathy: Expectant mothers need to feel heard and understood. Developing strong communication skills helps you build trust and provide a supportive, calming environment for your clients.

Practical Applications of Pregnancy Massage

Once you’ve completed your training, you’ll be able to apply your skills in various professional settings, including prenatal clinics and wellness centers such as spas or clinics specializing in reproductive care needs. If you’re an independent therapist, offering pregnancy massage allows you to attract a steady stream of clients and build a loyal clientele. Your training will also equip you to support mothers after delivery, aiding in recovery and helping them navigate the physical and emotional adjustments of motherhood.

A Rewarding Investment in Your Career

Specializing in pregnancy massage is more than a professional milestone—it’s a chance to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. The skills you gain will not only enhance your career but also deepen your connection with your clients, allowing you to be a trusted partner in their journey to motherhood.

Becoming a pregnancy massage therapist is a transformative step for any massage professional. This specialization allows you to offer a highly valued service, stand out in a competitive market, and build lasting relationships with clients. More importantly, it gives you the unique privilege of supporting mothers during one of the most extraordinary times of their lives.

About This Course: This course is the final course of the three course series in our prenatal massage title training. This step will teach you what you need to know when you have a pregnant client on your table. The certification package consists the Pregnancy Myths 4 CE course, the Prenatal Massage Fundamentals 12 CE course, that this course. All three are available at a package discount. All three are required in order to qualify for the certification title.

Prerequisites:

To become a Certified Prenatal Massage Therapist through us, you must complete the Pregnancy Myths course, Prenatal Massage Fundamentals course, and this course. We strongly recommend enrolling in the package deal instead of taking the courses individually. This option allows you to complete your certification online and saves you a manual processing fee. Click here to enroll in all three courses together and enjoy a package tuition discount.

Continuing Education Credits: Earn 12 continuing education credits (CEs) through this course. Based on NCBTMB guidelines, expect to spend approximately one clock hour per CE credit. These credits are earned through online, home study courses and are not considered "live" or "classroom" hours. Currently, we do not offer live seminars.

Classification of Hours: These are kinesthetic (hands-on) hours. Please note that some states may not accept kinesthetic hours earned through home study for license renewal continuing education. If that is the case for your state, you can still practice the techniques and use the certification title legally as long as you hold a valid massage therapy license and are legally allowed to practice in your jurisdiction.

Approval Information: The Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by the NCBTMB (Provider #280672-00) as a continuing education Approved Provider. We are also approved by Florida (#MCE-326) and New York (#0019). Our courses are recognized by AMTA, ABMP, and most individual states. Note that some states may limit the number of hours that can be completed online or via home study. Please check our State Guidelines section for detailed information about your state's requirements. Remember, laws can change, and it is your responsibility to stay informed about the regulations that apply to you.

Attention Florida Massage Therapists: This course is approved by Florida as a distance learning course for the required "relevant to massage therapy" category hours through 8/31/2025. You are permitted to complete the 12 required "relevant to massage therapy" hours via approved online courses at least through 2025. The approval number for this course is 20-795800.

Tuition: US$ 139 (Sign up on this page if you want to take ONLY the pregnancy massage techniques course. By choosing this option, you miss out on the benefits of enrolling in all three courses together as a package.) To enroll in the complete package, use this link.

To enroll: Look for the green "buy now" button at the top of this page, and click on it. You will then see the course in your shopping cart, with the option to continue shopping (if you want to enroll in more than one course) or checkout (if you are ready to get started with your course). Once you click checkout, it will take you through the process of creating a new account if you do not have one, or logging into an existing account if an account is already associated with your email address. You do not need to have an existing account before you add a course to your shopping cart.

Instructor: Judith Koch Stapleton, BCTMB

Course Format: To meet the board standards for adult education principles, we offer a variety of learning materials to suit different learning styles. Whether you prefer reading and reflection or audio-visual learning, our courses cater to your needs. You will find written content accompanied by links or resources to the same information in video format. Our courses include written content, videos produced by us, videos from external sources, and attached files of written material from outside sources. We seek to provide the information in a format that suits every learning style, ensuring a comprehensive and engaging educational experience for each individual student.

Course Description: Once you are ready to move beyond the fundamentals, your next step is to take this course - Prenatal Massage Techniques, worth 12 kinesthetic CEs. In this course you will study our course materials and videos to learn how to perform a full body massage during all three trimesters of pregnancy. You will learn techniques utilizing your forearms and elbows to reduce stress to your hands and thumbs.

This course teaches a side-lying and modified supine positioning, recommended for second and third trimesters. First trimester clients can likely receive massage in the standard prone/supine positioning if they prefer. We do not teach using specialty tables or equipment designed for allowing the woman to lay on her stomach after the first trimester for several reasons: Unless it is perfectly molded to her body, it will cause strain on her uterine ligaments, it is difficult to get in and out of in the final trimester, and makes no provision for a modified supine position (necessary to keep the weight of the uterus off of the vena cava). Therapists who prefer such positioning will need to modify the techniques taught to accomodate the changed position.

Course Topics:
Terminology
Necessary Equipment
Trimester Specifics
Routine in Sidelying and Modified Supine Position
Recap of Routine
Adjunct Training Videos
Perineal Massage
Postpartum Massage Concerns
Postpartum Depression
Resources

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Define common terminology relating to pregnancy
Describe the specific considerations for performing prenatal massage during all three trimesters, including positioning, bolstering, and draping
Perform a full body prenatal massage in all three trimesters
Explain the effect of episiotomies, explain the benefit of rationale of self-perineal massage practice, and demonstrate perineal massage to help prepare their clients to avoid an episiotomy (NOTE: The therapist does NOT perform perineal massage, and demonstrates using the webbing of their thumb and forefinger to represent the perineal tissue
Perform a postpartum massage on the uterus and check for a diastasis of the rectus abdominus
List and explain the risk factors for postpartum depression and recognize symptoms of postpartum depression

Testing: You will take the online test to earn your 12 CEs. You will be able to print your certificate immediately upon passing. This is the certificate you will provide to any agency that requires proof of your massage continuing education credits. All online exams must be completed within one year of enrollment.

Earning the title of Certified Prenatal Massage Therapist: For students who have completed all three courses in the prenatal certification package, you have the option of completing documentation of three practice sessions (two pregnancy massages on two different women who are 20 or more weeks into their pregnancy, and one postpartum massage on a woman who is no more than 14 days post-delivery. The postpartum massage must include the abdomen, so make sure it is on a client who is comfortable with that.) To earn the optional certification, you will complete the certification process. There is a one-time $35 certification fee.

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.

Student comments:

"I am a certified DONA doula of 6 years, practicing for 8 years, with 18 years massage experience & I am a certified prenatal massage therapist. I absolutely love being able to use what I have learned & what I can discover doing prenatal massage for my doula clients. Not only do I feel that during pregnancy massage can help me to find out more about my clients but how that can ultimately affect our time during labor. There is already a physical comfort between us before labor, so that is so helpful with our connection during that process." Heather Steele, Mountain Home, ID

"Some women are very active but because they are pregnant many times they have the same issues with the hip, leg and abdomen. This massage we learned here was so much more effective on helping these areas than one I was taught formally." Dee Nicovich, Joppa, AL

"I am really super excited to have taken the courses because:
- It is extremely well done. The material is clear, well organized and contains a wealth of information regarding pregnancy. It makes you want to learn more and I truly enjoyed the process.
- It gave me the level of confidence I needed to start building a prenatal massage clientele.
- On top of the basic prenatal chapters, the training offers extremely useful Marketing and Sale advices containing some of the best ideas I've heard so far (I've been in business a little bit over a year) and I can apply them to any massage modality I want to sell.
Thank you again for this great training and for offering the class online!" Céline F. Consoli, Honolulu, HI

"Having a private massage therapy practice, I have had many inquiries regarding if I offer prenatal. I have always referred these women, as I did not feel confident working on them without being certified. After a few consecutive phone calls, I decided to find out what it would take to become certified and found this wonderful program. At first I was worried that by taking this type of course online, I would be "missing out", and leave it still feeling ill equipped with expectant mothers. I soon discovered that I was quite wrong!
This course is so informative, covering aspects of pregnancy, the birthing process, techniques, draping, even incredible business and marketing tips. I was also amazed to discover that it provides dimensions and directions for having an optimal bolster system made for mothers-to-be. Videos of a routine, links to more helpful videos, and a list reference books were also provided.
Upon starting this course, I thought that I would gain knowledge of how to work on pregnant women, contraindications, how to drape and bolster, and that would pretty much be it. Yet I left this course with so much more, so many extremely helpful ideas of how to be the best, most helpful prenatal massage therapist that can help guide and support women through the pregnancy process.
I recommend this course to anyone who is interested in prenatal massage therapy. It has given me the confidence I was looking for plus so much more!" Rebecca Leaden, New Milford, CT

"Thank you so much. I did not expect to enjoy these courses (prenatal steps one and two) as much as I have. I just purchased the doula class and I'm sure I'll be taking the infant massage course, as well. Thank you so much for helping me grow my business and become more passionate about my craft." Whitney Brown, Bremen, Kentucky

"Thanks for offering this course. I had prenatal training in 2007, and wanted to take this as a re-fresher. I have been providing prenatal massages and I very much appreciate your rational approach to everything, without all of the fear-based info that I received in 2007. It's a very good course." Jacki Sellers, CMT, NCTMB, CMLDT, Aliso Viejo, CA

"Thank you for all of your help with this course. It's an awesome course! I've taken a few other Prenatal massage courses and found yours the most comprehensive. Thanks again." Patti Nebel, Wenonah, NJ

"Thank you for offering this course!!! It was very easy to follow, the information was very thorough, and it was a convenient and more affordable alternative to other prenatal courses. As a licensed massage therapist, I strongly believe in the benefits of prenatal massage - for the mom-to-be and the baby. This course gave me everything I need to confidently incorporate prenatal massage into my practice. I ordered this course along with the Doula course, and am really looking forward to obtaining Doula certification next." K. Jackson, Las Vegas, NV

"Thank you for developing such a wonderful course! My massage office is located within a birth center & I have been giving pre & post natal massage for 6 years now, I LOVE it!! I have read several books and watched a few DVDs on the subject and the information in your workbook & DVD is by far the best. I have learned so much & am so exicted to share this info with my clients. Thanks you." Heather Barber LMT, Palmer, Alaska

"I have been a holistic therapist for the last 27 years and have invested a lot of money in furthering my education. Some courses were worth it...many others weren't. I love the courses you offer not only because there is so much to choose from but also because all is actually applicable! So many times I have taken courses and half of what was being taught had absolutely no relevance. Your courses are of high quality and they are relevant - that's the most important aspect for me. I know I'll be back for more :) Cheers," Gabriela Eikeland, Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. (Courses Gabriela has taken: Manual Lymph Massage, Prenatal Fundamentals, Prenatal Techniques, Spa Fundamentals, Communicable Diseases)

"Thank you for putting Prenatal Massage Certification course together. It was wonderful. I learned so much and realized afresh how much I love massaging mothers-to-be. I look forward to expanding my practice to include prenatal massage. Thank you for all the time, energy, expertise, resources, perseverance and commitment it took for you to produce this course. You have enriched my career and will share in the enrichment I am privileged to pass to my clients. I know being equipped to do prenatal massage will expand and extend my career. Blessings," Susan Valk, Austin, TX