Pregnancy Massage
An 8-Hour Continuing Education Course by Eric Brown in Consultation with Dr. Nuwanthi Fernado, MD, and Raissa Sauve, RMT and Certified Doula.
Pregnancy is a profound transition. For your clients, it’s a time of excitement, vulnerability, and change—emotionally, physically, and socially. And for you as a massage therapist, it’s a chance to show up with skill, presence, and confidence in one of the most meaningful ways possible.
But pregnancy massage is not just a set of techniques.
That’s what sets this course apart. We built this training in collaboration with the people who understand pregnancy best: medical doctors, experienced doulas, birth coaches, lactation consultants, and pregnancy massage specialists. Their voices are woven throughout the course - ensuring you’re not just learning how to massage pregnant clients, but why it matters and what your clients truly need from you.
This course is not fluff. It's a deep dive that gives you more than tools—it gives you understanding. You’ll explore the stages of pregnancy, how to support clients through emotional and physiological changes, and how massage fits into the bigger picture of care. You’ll learn when it’s appropriate to refer out, how to handle high-risk pregnancies, how to offer support during labor and postpartum, and how to communicate confidently with clients and other health professionals.
And yes, you’ll also get hands-on demonstrations - draping, positioning, and technique adaptations—so you can work safely and effectively from day one.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore pregnancy massage or looking to deepen your expertise, this course will meet you with warmth, clinical insight, and the tools to make a real difference. You’ll leave with more than just CE hours—you’ll leave with confidence, connection, and a new way to serve your clients.
Enroll today and become the go to pregnancy massage therapist in your community.
Whether you’re at your desk, on your couch, or on the go, you’ll experience this course through our award-winning Massage Mastery Online digital platform—built from the ground up to support 21st-century learning.
Massage Mastery courses are unlike other online courses where so-called experts throw some notes onto a web page or create a boring PDF to read. Massage Mastery Online courses are engaging visually rich multi-media experiences designed to help you learn effectively.
- Chunked content for better learning retention
- Mobile optimized – learn anywhere, anytime
- Integrated videos right where you need them
- Stunning visuals that bring anatomy and technique to life
- Podcast summaries of each lesson engage and inspire
- Instant text translation in 110+ languages
- Quizzes to reinforce knowledge
- Powerful search function for fast answers
- Real-time updates so your course is always current
INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION
LESSON 01: PREGNANCY AND THE MASSAGE THERAPIST
- Positioning and Draping
- Pregnancy Massage Techniques
- Precautions and Contraindications
LESSON 02: MASSAGE THROUGH EACH TRIMESTER
- The 1stTrimester
- The 2ndTrimester
- The 3rdTrimester
LESSON 03: PREGNANCY WELLNESS ACTIVITIES
- Exercise: General Guidelines
- Exercise: Strengthening the Pelvic Floor
- Hydrotherapy Through Pregnancy
- Stress Management
LESSON 04: LABOR AND DELIVERY
- Overview
- Stage 1
- Stage 2
- Stage 3
LESSON 05: POSTPARTUM
- Issues in the Postpartum Period
LESSON 06: LET’S TALK PREGNANCY MASSAGE
- Let’s Talk Pregnancy Massage with Rebecca De Avezedo Overson
- Let’s Talk Pregnancy Massage with Jennifer Elliott
- Let’s Talk Pregnancy Massage with Rhondda Smiley
- Let’s Talk Pregnancy Massage with Tiffany Shocklee
SUMMARY
FINAL EXAM
Having completed this course, the participant will be able to:
- Define the term, pregnancy massage.
- List four ways a woman’s body undergoes changes during the 40 weeks of pregnancy.
- List two psychological or emotional impacts of pregnancy on a mother.
- Outline four benefits of massage for expecting mothers.
- Describe two positioning considerations for each trimester of a pregnancy.
- Explain, in your own words, the semiprone position and its benefits.
- Explain, in your own words, the sidelying position and its benefits.
- Practice positioning the client using pillows, forms, and special body support systems.
- Practice draping techniques to ensure modesty and comfort.
- State two common precautions taken when massaging pregnant woman.
- Define the term, high-risk pregnancy.
- Name three conditions associated with high-risk pregnancy.
- Define the term, preeclampsia.
- List three changes that occur in a woman’s body during the 1st
- List two symptoms a woman may experience during the 1st
- Describe one way massage may help reduce the symptom of morning sickness.
- Describe two symptoms experienced during the 1st trimester that benefit from massage.
- List three changes that occur in a woman’s body during the 2nd
- Describe two symptoms experienced during the 2nd trimester that benefit from massage.
- Explain one reason that massage with oil reduces stretch marks.
- Describe one postural change that occurs during pregnancy and may lead to backache.
- Discuss the massage therapist’s role related to blood pressuring when providing massage to pregnant clients.
- List two changes that occur in a woman’s body during the 3rd
- Describe two symptoms experienced during the 3rd trimester that benefit from massage.
- List two techniques, advocated by childbirth educators, that reduce the need for episiotomies.
- List two benefits of exercise for the pregnant woman.
- Define diastasis recti
- Outline why full body hydrotherapy applications, ex. Hot tub, sauna, may be contraindicated.
- Describe two ways that stress negatively impacts a pregnant woman and her baby.
- Outline three ways massage therapy reduces stress for a pregnant woman.
- Outline the stages in the delivery process.
- Describe the role of a massage therapist during a delivery process.
- Outline guidelines for massage during stage 1 of the delivery process.
- List two techniques that support the delivery process at stage 2.
- Describe the potential role of massage at stage 3 of the delivery process.
- Describe three massage techniques that are particularly applicable during the delivery process.
- Define “baby blues”
- List two benefits of massage during the postpartum period.
- Discuss one issue a woman might experience during the postpartum period.
- Describe how you may be able to position the woman in a prone position in the third trimester.
- List two common symptoms for each trimester of pregnancy.
- Outline why deep vein thrombosis is contraindicated for massage.
- State why insomnia is so prevalent amongst pregnant women.
- Outline one common myth around pregnancy massage.
- Discuss the role of the massage therapist through labor and delivery.
Category: Special Populations
CE Hours: 8 CE Hours
CE Approvals: NCBTMB approved for 8 CE hours. Accepted in most states. Please note this course is NOT approved by Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana. We will NOT be submitting CE records for Florida and New York.
Subscription Period: Lifetime access.
After Purchase: Once you purchase this course, you’ll log into massagemastery.online with your email and password. The course will be waiting for you on your dashboard. Click the course access button and follow the directions.