Chad had this to say recently:
I researched the ethics dealing with massage on pregnant women. I found several informative websites, but the one that stuck out was: http://www.cortiva.com/locations/psmt/continuing-education/#ethics. This website is for gaining CEU's in different disciplines, but it has lots of other good information.
"Six million American women become pregnant each year, so it is likely that in the course of a massage therapist's career, he or she will have the opportunity and privilege to massage a pregnant woman... but, the massage therapist may not remember or may have never learned the client positions and massage therapy techniques that are safe in each trimester of pregnancy. Whether you want a thorough review of the basics or an introduction to the specialty of pregnancy massage, in this workshop you will learn safe and effective massage positioning, draping and techniques, as well as, precautions and contraindications to support women through their healthy pregnancies."
The ethical dilemmas one faces when giving massages during pregnancy are many, but can be dealt with if the massage therapist conducts themselves in a professional manner. First, being a male and giving these massages you must take extra care in making the client as comfortable as possible, and following all the draping techniques at all times. Also one has to take the baby's welfare into consideration. If you believe there is even the slightest risk of causing harm to mother or baby you must have the strong ethical stance to say no to the massage. As a professional massage therapist I believe you must communicate with the client and the client's health care provider when deciding on whether or not to give a pregnancy massage.
Recent Comments