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Massage Doulas are Certified  Massage Therapists who have completed advanced certification in prenatal massage, post partum massage, labor, delivery support and, optionally, infant massage. Massage therapists have the option of becoming a Certified Prenatal Massage Therapist and a Certified Massage Doula. (See definitions to the right.) This course, in and of itself, without already having a massage license, is not sufficient to legally practice massage in most states. You can check your state's massage laws by visiting:
 http://www.massagecredits.com/index.php?main_page=page_3

The infant massage portion of our course IS now available to RNs, doulas, or other non-massage therapists. Your title will be "Certified Infant Massage Instructor" but you cannot hold yourself out as a massage therapist or certified infant massage therapist without possessing a massage therapy certification.

 People frequently ask if the Massage Doula Network is affiliated with DONA, ALACE, CAPPA, ICEA, or any other doula certifying organization. We are not. Those agencies certify for doula labor support only, and do not include prenatal, postpartum, and infant massage, nor do you need to be a massage therapist to take their training.

What a Massage Doula can do for you:
During Pregnancy: Safe, drug-free relief of aches & pains, reduce swelling, ease pressure on the sciatic nerve, learn relaxation skills for labor, prepare your body for delivery, assist circulation, release emotional tension, improve sleep patterns.
During Labor: Shorten length of labor, reduce need for pain medications or epidurals,  reduce the need for pitocin,  reduce the need for forceps & vacuum extraction, reduce the need for c-sections, dramatically increase your odds of a natural labor, most importantly improve the health of your baby!
Postpartum: Restore muscle tone to abdomen, stimulate the uterus to return to its pre-pregnant size and position, alleviate muscle pain from postural shifts, fuller breasts, and weight of carried infant.
Infant Massage: Promote bonding, stimulate circulation, ease colic, gas, and digestive discomfort, improve sleeping patterns, stimulate brain development.

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"Improving the world one massage at a time"