Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68178
PREGNANT CLIENTS Ultimately, It's Her Call Some clients will have heard that touch to the ankles must be avoided during pregnancy. If they are hesitant or concerned despite your reassurances, by all means abide by their wishes. The ankles will not miss a little touch, and the mother will feel more relaxed knowing you are respectful of her concerns. LAc and author of Shiatsu Therapy for Pregnancy (Spinifex, 1999), says gentle massage or acupressure applied to the ankles with the intention of relieving discomfort will not cause harm or induce labor. Instead, it can help reduce edema in the feet and therefore be beneficial. She finds acupressure to be more subtle than acupuncture. When working with a woman due for labor, she stimulates points hourly with deep and continuous pressure over 2–3 days in order to affect the type of cervical changes that she might see in a shorter time span with acupuncture. One session on the ankles in an effort to promote labor will not be effective. Debra Betts, LAc, RN, and author of The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy and Childbirth (Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2006) finds Bladder 60 to be stimulating to the uterus. She feels that general massage could stimulate this acupressure point and cause an undesirable result if combined with Spleen 6 (on the medial calf ) and used with strong pressure over a period of time on a woman who is susceptible and sensitive to acupressure points or who is at high risk for miscarriage. The concern is greater, she states, with pregnancies earlier than 12 weeks or later than 36 weeks, when the risks of miscarriage or preterm labor are greatest. She suggests avoiding touch to this and all the contraindicated acupoints during pregnancy. On the other hand, Suzanne Yates, bodyworker, antenatal educator, and author of Shiatsu for Midwives (Books for Midwives, 2003), says that she often gently massages around the ankles with light pressure as she connects with the mother's womb. "I have done this kind of work for 18 years now and not had any problems. Indeed, I feel it is of benefit. In the first trimester, it is calming and supporting the flow of the jing, an important energy which nurtures the baby." 74 massage & bodywork september/october 2009