Prenatal Massage

Book excerpt: Authored by a well-known expert on prenatal massage, this comprehensive text helps you understand the intricate physiology of pregnancy so you can confidently apply appropriate massage techniques for each trimester, and throughout labor and postpartum. You'll find clear, colorfully illustrated explanations of a wide range of techniques and procedures, including Swedish massage, acupuncture points, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, lymphatic drainage, and reflexology. Contraindications and precautions are also provided where necessary to help you provide safe and effective care for every client. - Comprehensive coverage guides you through all aspects of prenatal massage in a single book, addressing fundamentals, techniques, preparation, and prevention of potential problems. - Many useful techniques are described in detail for prenatal through postpartum massage with step-by-step instructions so you can begin using these techniques with your clients immediately. - Numerous boxes throughout the text highlight key information and provide clinical tips. Touch Points and In My Experience boxes share the author's personal observations about the chapter material with real-life examples from her years in practice. - Over 350 detailed, full-color illustrations and photographs illuminate procedures, concepts, and techniques. - Clear writing and organization addresses content in four main units: pregnancy massage, labor massage, postpartum massage, and marketing strategies. - A companion DVD packaged with the book contains 45 minutes of video demonstrating different massage techniques presented in the book. - DVD icons within the text encourage you to watch relevant video footage at appropriate points. - Learning objectives and key terms at the beginning of each chapter clearly identify the concepts you should focus on in the chapter. - Review questions at the end of each chapter enable you to assess your understanding and review important information presented in the book. - A glossary of all key terms and definitions makes it easy to quickly look up a new term or to refresh your memory.