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Massage for labor and delivery

Greetings everyone,

A friend has asked me to attend her birth and support her with massage. Her last child was delivered as a posterior birth and the doula at that birth really helped her with the pain by using massage.

Can anyone suggest DVDs or other materials where I can learn techniques to support the mother? Especially in the case of another posterior birth. I know that learning from a DVD is not ideal, but I do have over 4,000 hours of bodywork training and I was in practice for four years so I am pretty confident that I can learn the techniques if I knew what they were.

Thanks for your help!

Rosalee

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Permalink Reply by Lucianna Johnston on December 30, 2011 at 2:09am

I have attended 2 births as a massage therapist..so not a lot..but in both cases there was no way to predict what the mother would need. Be ready, wear comfortable clothes and shoes you would exercise in. Be hydrated and rested if possible around the time of the mother's due date. If you are a good massage therapist you will be able to address the mother's needs..whatever those may be...it's amazing!