This course dives into prenatal anatomy and physiology as well as biomechanics for in depth insight around working with the pregnant body. As massage therapists, nurses, doulas we are in personal, intimate proximity during a vulnerable, peak human experience. We can change the course of a pregnancy and effect birth outcomes by offering not only knowledgeable hands on measures of comfort, but information around the changes in the body and how to navigate them during both pregnancy and the work of labor.
This training offers 16 CEUs for NYS licensed massage therapists and is open to all who work with pregnant bodies and want to deepen awareness around effective hands on work.
Learn how to use your hands / deepen your practice as you facilitate healing of the body by activating your inner physician and gaining in depth insight around the biomechanics and physiology of pregnant, laboring and post partum bodies. We will be partnering on massage tables to learn techniques for supporting your clients / the pregnant people in your life through common challenges from sciatica to fascial release, induction work to scar mobilization and c section recovery.
Learn how to relieve discomfort and pressure in pregnancy and activate the immune system by unblocking the meridians, unwinding fascia, releasing physical and emotional trauma and limiting beliefs while giving clients information and participatory tools to feel informed and empowered as they navigate childbirth and beyond. This training is intentionally crafted to create more confident hands on pregnant bodies and shift the paradigm, messaging, and experience of modern day birth culture.
About your organizer
Rebecca Mercurio is founder and owner of the perinatal massage and yoga practice at Whole Nine Wellness, co creator and owner of Buffalo Birth & Baby Doula Services and The Cary House Buffalo, a perinatal wellness center that supports bodies from fertility through menopause.
This training was created over two decades working in intimate spaces with bodies on the childbirth continuum. Having the very special privilege and unique vantage point of working with clients in the massage room, the yoga space and throughout the birth process itself, it has become abundantly clear the power we have to shift narratives and outcomes without being “clinical” providers. I have trained LMTs at freestanding Spa’s, in hospitality outlets as well as nurses and doulas. Whether you are looking to create a niche practice or support someone you love through their pregnancy, bodywork offers deeper ways to impact this very special, and often overlooked, demographic that changes the trajectory of lives.
The body is a diary of our life experiences. The pregnant body carries layers on layers / generations of trauma and hope. The postpartum body synthesizes the birth experience through this lens. We can directly affect the way a body enters into childbirth and the way it processes and integrates this peak experience to carry forward into life as a mother. This is powerful work and rather than subscribing to the cultural narrative that pregnancy and birth are a liability, we can transform /
and rewrite it with something as simple as confident, present touch.