Online Courses

What Makes MotherTouch Online Classes Different?

1. Learn from the Primary Resource! First and most importantly, this is all MY information! It's not simply regurgitated from someone else's writing or teaching. It's based on my decades of experience as a birth professional and massage therapist.
2. Indepth Information! Many courses are superficial information that only gives you a very general overview of a topic. MotherTouch classes don't skimp on the information they transmit!
3. Practice Makes Perfect! You may have as long as you need to take the quiz and You may take the quiz multiple times until you pass.
4. Various Learning Options: MotherTouch courses use various methods of transmitting information-video, powerpoint, text, and sometimes live webinars.
5. Access to a human instructor! Unlike the anonymity of some online programs, I have a personal interest in your work and how you integrate the content of these courses. If you have any questions about a course or about questions on the quiz that are not making sense to you, or other reasons you need support in the process of completing a course, a 20-minute consult with Leslie or her assistant is included in the fee for each course over 1 hour.

COURSE MATERIALS

Upon registering for the Lesson or Course, you will be directed to the section "My Classes", where you can begin your class that may include any of these materials:

• PDF:
  Download a pdf of Leslie's written material. Some courses adapt text from or use chapters from the textbook Nurturing Massage for Pregnancy: A Practical Guide to Bodywork for the Perinatal Cycle.
• Textbook: 
  The actual printed textbook, Nurturing Massage for Pregnancy: A Practical Guide to Bodywork for the Perinatal Cycle, is an excellent resource to have if you are pursuing pregnancy massage, and a requirement to purchase if you continue on to the Live Prenatal Bodywork Certification. If you choose to purchase the book, a 20% retail discount and free shipping coupon is available to download. The purchase of the book is NOT included in the cost of the online course. PLEASE NOTE: Only PDF's comes with this online course. If you want the Textbook, (which is a great resource to own!) you must purchase that separately from the course.     Download the Discount Coupon Here!
• Powerpoint:
  Some Courses include Powerpoint presentations that may or may not include audio.
• Video:
  Some courses use the MotherTouch videos--Nurturing Touch for Birth, or Touch Techniques for Birth, or other videos by Leslie or others hosted on YouTube or Vimeo.
• Quiz:
  The Multiple Choice quiz is required to be passed successfully in order to obtain your CE's. It is instantly graded upon completion.  You must have a passing grade of 85% correct answers to receive the NCBTMB  Certificate of Completion.You may take it as many times as necessary to pass the quiz.
• Certificate of Completion:
  You will be able to do download a MotherTouch Certificate of Completion after successfully passing the quiz. If the course is listed as approved by NCBTMB or CE Broker, you may use that certificate  for your needed CE's.
• Prenatal Bodywork Training 1-day Tuition Waiver:
  When you successfully pass the Fundamentals of Prenatal Massage ONLINE course, you may be able to receive a tuition discount on the first day of Leslie's LIVE Prenatal Bodywork Training & Certification ($185 value) IF taken within one year of the online course. (Talk to Leslie for current information about this)
  
• Current Requirements to receive the waiver:
  You must register for the Live course within 1 year of successfully completing the Fundamentals Online class, inform Leslie about this option, and register for and complete a 30 or 60-minute mentoring session via Skype, Facetime, or in person, with Leslie or her Assistant  4-6 weeks before the live course begins. In the mentoring session, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills of positioning and draping, and applying some basic techniques to a client in the side lying position. 

A QUIZ? WHAT'S EXPECTED? WHAT IF I FAIL?

After registering for any class, you will have access to the course materials—pdf’s, video, or powerpoint. Each registrant must take an online multiple choice quiz and get a passing grade of 80% in order to receive the pdf of Certificate of Completion.

• Quiz Support: Each quiz question states where the information will be found as such: “According to the powerpoint” or “According to the text pdf”. This ensures that you seek your answers in the most appropriate place.
• "Open Book": You may review the pdf, video, or powerpoint during the quiz. The quiz is NOT timed. You can take as long as you need to ensure you have the correct answer.
• Take it Again: You may retake the quiz as many times as you need to pass.  If you do not pass after 3 attempts, please review the material before attempting the quiz again. If you have an issue related to language translation or technical problems with the online course itself, or other issue to resolve about the course, please contact Leslie for a 20-minute Free consult to clarify questions and answers at MotherTouchClasses@gmail.com
• Note: If you register for the full Fundamentals Class, you will take the quiz at the end of each Lesson, but your certificate will only be available after you have completed all Lessons successfully.

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO COMPLETE THE COURSE?

Upon registration for the course, you will have 90 days to complete all the study and quizzes. If you do not complete in that time, you will forfeit your tuition and will not have further access to any materials, including the pdf’s, videos, or quizzes, unless you re-register and start fresh.

REFUND POLICY// MONEY-BACK GUARANTEED SATISFACTION

You have 90 days to decide a course works for you. As long as you haven't taken the course test, if you decide this course doesn’t meet your needs, you can call or email Leslie for a full refund (minus paypal /transaction fees) or a course exchange for one of equal or lesser value.

QUESTIONS?

To clarify information or answer specific questions about this course or the quiz, you may choose a 20-minute consult with Leslie Stager or one of her assistants after you register for a course. You can email always email with questions as well. Schedule a time with Leslie at Leslie@touchforbirth.com.

STILL UNCERTAIN? NO RISK OFFER! 1 FREE CE COURSE!

TAKE Lesson I/Course I: Massage During Pregnancy: A Unique Opportunity for Free and receive 1 NCBMTB CE. This will give you a chance to see how the online course works, and help you decide if you will continue on with the full course.

ORDERING: 3 Easy Ways to Purchase an Online Class!

      On Website: Register directly on this site. Your payment will go through Paypal.com

      By Phone: 1-207-323-5101. I use Square to accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover. Please call during business hours Pacific Standard Time.

      By Mail: If you need to mail a check, please contact MotherTouchClasses@gmail.com to obtain address and confirmation. Make checks payable to Touch For Birth. Payments by check or money order must be in U.S. funds only, and must be received prior to registration for the course.

Are you apprehensive about your pregnant clients?

Do you wonder if massage might harm a pregnant woman or her baby?
Did you know that certain positioning could cause uterine ligament strain and pain? 

What about potent acupressure points--where are they, and are they really dangerous?

12.5 NCBTMB CE's!

Many massage therapists are nervous about positioning, draping, and supporting a woman’s comfort in her rapidly changing body. If you are unfamiliar with the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, or the essential principles of maternity massage, you may be referring your clients to another therapist, or worse, fumbling through sessions with light-touch massage in hopes that you don't do something wrong.... You could be offering so much more!

In this 12.5-hour online course you'll learn answers to the most common questions about pregnancy massage, while studying at your own pace in the comfort of your home. We'll cover the Real areas of concern and identify the myths. You'll watch how to drape and position for optimal comfort and safety.

You'll have much more confidence in how to offer safe, therapeutic sessions during pregnancy. You might even realize you want to focus in on this clientele and take a Live course where you will gain numerous more skills and techniques with instructor guidance, that you can apply with All your clientele!

1 NCBTMB CE!

This course is an introduction to the benefits of and concerns about touch during the peri-natal cycle, and about the importance of massage to help reduce prenatal stress that affect baby's brain development. Learn about multi-cultural attitudes toward pregnancy and about your potential long term impact, as a massage therapist, on the health of women and babies.

Content: Text, Powerpoint & Audio, Conception & Birth Video

• Touch Traditions during Pregnancy
• Overview of Pregnancy Massage
• 11 Benefits of Pregnancy Massage
• Issues about Touch during Pregnancy
• Dispelling 3 Myths
• Honoring the Wisdom Keepers
• Postural Changes
• Birth Preparation
• Stimulating Hormones with Touch
• Quiz
• MotherTouch Certificate for 1 CE

2.5 NCBTMB CE's  

Massive physical and psycho-emotional changes occur through the 9 months of pregnancy and onward into motherhood. Learn how the body changes in each trimester, the impacts of pregnancy hormones, and musculo-skeletal changes and discomforts, and how these changes affect your options and approach to bodywork.

Read about the location and actions of uterine ligaments, and how they may be strained and manifest as groin or hip pain or sciatica-like symptoms.

Learn about a quick postural adjustment-awareness technique that I share with most of my clients.

Read about diastasis recti--the separation of the rectus abdominus muscle during pregnancy––and its impacts.

Massage Therapy tips are included throughout the texts and powerpoint.

Content: Text, Video, Powerpoint

• Physical changes through the trimesters
• Hormonal affects and impacts to your bodywork
• Postural Support technique
• Uterine ligaments-- pain referral patterns and preventing strain
• Discussion of muscular adaptations of the psoas and quadratus lumborum which often need focused attention during pregnancy

4 NCBTMB CE's !

Learn details of Bodywork Precautions and Contraindications and make your pregnancy massage safer. Myths are dispelled, and straight-talk is offered about acupressure points, positioning options, deep vs light pressure, massage during the first trimester and more. Even if you don't specialize in prenatal massage, you may still be the first to help recognize your client's symptoms of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy pathology that can develop quickly and can be deadly for mother and baby. Every practitioner should know 4 primary symptoms and questions to ask if encountering them.  See a sample intake form and a medical release form and learn when to use them!

Other topics include:

• Type I and Type II Bodywork Styles
• Health Intake & Medical Release
• Bodywork Precautions during Pregnancy--Fact vs Fiction: Acupressure points, Reflexology, Deep pressure, Abdominal massage, and more.
• Pregnancy Risk Conditions and High Risk Symptoms including common issues such as blood clots/DVT, high blood pressure, preterm labor, miscarriage, gestational diabetes, and less common situations such as polyhydramnios or placental abruption.
• When abdominal massage is appropriate or problematic
• Symptoms of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome
• High Risk Clients on Bedrest

Content: Reading Text,  PowerPoint, Client Video Interview on Preeclampsia experience

1.5 NCBTMB CE's!

Pregnancy poses a variety of massage concerns, as there are risks and considerations that are not encountered with the standard non-pregnant massage client. This is true regarding general office set-up, positioning, and massage techniques for pregnant women as well; for instance, lateral positioning is often necessary through much of a woman’s pregnancy, and the therapist needs to learn how to work competently in this position, and to be creative so that you can change positions if the need arises. One option for all clients does not work! Pregnancy bodywork demands creativity!

This module will explore positioning and draping based especially on the stage of a woman’s pregnancy or her belly size. First, we will consider how to set up your office to meet the needs of pregnant clients, including what equipment you will need. Then, we will review treatment guidelines and precaution reminders for each trimester of pregnancy. Positioning for bodywork is addressed next, with a look at sidelying, semi-reclining, prone, and supine positions and how each position can be adapted for work with a pregnant client.

Topics Include:

• Sidelying Positioning: When and How To Use
• Semi-Reclining Positioning Benefits: When and How To Use
• Prone & Supine Positioning During Pregnancy
• Avoiding Uterine Ligament and Hip Rotator Strain
• Draping the Back
• Draping the Leg
• Draping for Belly Massage

Content: Video, Text

2 NCBTMB CE's!

Certain themes apply to nearly every massage during pregnancy. For instance, a woman will generally have an increased need for nurturing. She will benefit from stretching and muscular work that elongates the areas that are shortening and compressing as pregnancy progresses. For optimum well-being, she will also benefit from attendance to postural adaptations to her changing weight as discussed in the online course (or Module II of Fundamentals Course) PHYSIOLOGICAL, POSTURAL, MUSCULO-SKELETAL CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY.

A client will expect her massage therapist to be educated and vigilant about precautions and contraindications throughout pregnancy, in order to create an environment safe for herself and her unborn child. And she will most commonly expect that receiving bodywork will diminish discomforts and help her feel more grounded and at ease in her body. This course will examine specific bodywork techniques for the sidelying position that are most supportive for pregnant women throughout their pregnancy and that you can include in your practice now!

• Office Considerations
• Trimester Considerations
• Massage for the Hands, Arms, Shoulder, Neck, Lateral Hip Rotators, Gluteals
• Techniques for Sidelying Positioning

Content: Video, Text

1.5 NCBTMB CE's !

Why massage the belly during pregnancy? Belly massage offers time for both client and therapist to connect with Baby. Abdominal massage can be wonderfully relaxing and nurturing and help a mother feel more united in her body, as both the belly and back can be massaged simultaneously. Both sidelying and semi-reclining positionings are excellent for giving and receiving belly rubs. Nurturing touch to the belly can be stimulating and used to help support the body in preparation for labor, or can be sedating and help a woman relax and connect with baby when she has fear of miscarriage or preterm labor. Learn precautions and considerations for offering belly massage, and watch how to apply specific techniques in sidelying and semi-reclining positions.

Topics include:

• The Sacred Belly
• Trimester Considerations
• Belly Massage Techniques in Sidelying Position
• Belly Massage Techniques in Semi-Reclining Position
• Addressing Uterine Round Ligament Pain

Content: Video, Reading

0.5 or 1 NCBTMB CE

MENTORING: If you would like the opportunity to Join Leslie's 32-hour Prenatal Bodywork Training & Certification for reduced or No fee for the first day of class, you must participate in 1 hour private mentoring session with Leslie, where you will demonstrate your skills of positioning and draping, and apply some basic techniques to a client in the side lying position. 0.5 CE-$50// 1 CE: $65