Labor Support
“Birth is not only about making babies,
it’s about making parents.”
What is Labor Support?
Labor support in massage therapy is the focused practice of caring for a family in the months and weeks leading up to the birth, supporting them during the birth journey (in home, or hospital), and helping them transition postpartum. They will guide you to identify your values, goals, and thoughts of what a satisfying birth experience looks like, help you develop a plan or strategy to meet these goals, and ensure you feel as physically prepared and empowered as possible.
Your labor support massage therapist does not replace your primary care provider, or your birth partner.
Your primary care is an expert on the medical health of the birthing person and baby,
Your partner is an expert on you,
We have expertise in birthing bodies and the birthing condition.
Together, we make the perfect team.
At a glance:
Before your baby’s birth the treatment focus is preparation. Your labor support massage therapist will provide unbiased and evidence-informed education along the way, practice hands-on treatments for you (and your birth partner!), and design homecare techniques to optimize your body’s innate stamina and resilience.
When it comes time for the birth journey to begin your RMT will be on-call and ready to join you at your chosen birthing and laboring locations. During labor your RMT will offer continuous support to your family through means of hands-on massage care, positioning suggestions, hydrotherapy, verbal encouragement, coaching, and guiding you through the comfort strategies you practiced together in the preparation sessions prior. They will remain with your family until after your baby is born and until you feel ready for quiet bonding time.
You and your massage therapist will schedule your postpartum support in the days and weeks after your child has arrived. They may offer in-hospital treatment, gentle home-based body work, infant massage lessons, and general personalized care designed to reorient you back into your body, nervous system, and new family.
The package.
Here’s an in-depth look at the way we model our labor support packages, and what you can expect from our care.
Preparation.
3 in-home treatments
(2 hours each)
In these treatments we spend time developing a clear picture of your pregnancy, general health, the model of care you’ve chosen (midwifery, MD practice, or other), and your life's current experience. We emphasize education and offer our knowledge surrounding pregnancy, childbirth and all its variations, the postpartum transition, and expected shifts in your body’s anatomy and physiology during each of these phases. We explore your goals and values for your birth experience and design a plan together to align with those goals. Your RMT will provide hands-on manual treatments for you and your partner while practicing variations on positions of comfort, and massage therapy education. At the end of each session we practice guided breathwork, coached stretching, strengthening, and we leave you with homecare for you to practice independently. Your RMT is always available by phone, text, or email to provide a listening ear, support, or advice, and if there are other labor preparation strategies or services you’d like to explore that your RMT cannot offer, they will be happy to refer you to a trusted colleague so you can continue building your village of care.
On-going pregnancy support from hire
Priority access to the Perinatal Lending Library
Health history and therapeutic relationship building
Pregnancy, childbirth, and patient education
Birth-journey planning
Manual massage therapy
Guided breathwork, stretching, strengthening and home care practices
Relevant referrals to other allied health
Mobile treatment fees included
The Birth Journey.
4 hours - 24 + hours
(Billable RMT hours vary)
Your RMT will join you whenever and wherever your journey starts, remain with you until after your baby is born, and depart when the family is ready for quiet time or has otherwise been dismissed. The RMT’s focus is to work with your birth partner to utilize your practiced birthing strategies, empower your communication with your care provider, and continually assess and optimize your experience with the ultimate goal of keeping you as comfortable as possible.
On-call for from 38 weeks GA until the baby is born
Continuous in-person support during the birth journey
Unlimited manual massage throughout the course of labor
Positional, verbal, hydrotherapy and breath guidance
Mobile treatment fees included
Postpartum.
2 in-hospital or home treatments
(2 hours each)
During this time the focus shifts to elevating how you feel in your body, and caring for what you need that day. Early postpartum, your massage therapist may offer an in-hospital relaxation treatment, treat specific strains that came up during the birth event, or offer targeted approaches to build resilience to your ergonomic demands. Later on, you might decide to focus on restoring function and building strength in your postpartum body, or, share the love with your partner and have them enjoy a massage while they adjust to their new role. Your RMT is also happy to spend time treating your new little family member and teach you some techniques that can help alleviate some discomforts of their bodies new earth-side demands.
In-hospital or home postpartum massage
Postpartum ergonomic support
Private infant massage and lessons
Mobile treatment fees included
Investment
$1400.00 - $2000.00
Lagoon prenatal is excited to offer their Labor Support services on a sliding scale.
We believe that safe, knowledgeable, and inclusive support should be accessible to all birthing individuals, and we hope that one day it will.
$1400.00
Accessible care for single parents and families.
$1600.00 - $1800.00
Suggested pricing for parents or families who have some massage therapy insurance coverage.
$2000.00
Suggested pricing for parents or families who have comprehensive massage therapy coverage.
All massage therapy labor support packages have payment plans and applicable direct billing options. Each individual therapist may be opted in or out to sliding scale pricing. Please inquire for more information.
Click here to learn more about birth photography add-ons
Booking
Choosing your labor support is a very individual process. It should not be rushed, and it should feel “right” for both parties. We offer a no-obligation-to-hire meet and greet to get acquainted. This meeting can include both the birthing parent and a partner, and will last about 45 minutes. We will discuss your pregnancy, thoughts on what you’d like your birth to look like, any questions or concerns you might have, and just get to know each other!
All plans have a $300.00 non-refundable retainer fee due upon booking (investment totals are inclusive of the retainer fee). Births are booked in priority order of retainers paid. We accept a limited about of patients per month.
Please contact us as soon as possible to book your consultation.
Doula vs
Labor Support?
What is the difference? There are some important distinctions to make.
A massage therapist as a doula:
As a registered massage therapist in British Columbia there are specific techniques and care models that fall within our scope of practice that are permitted by our by-laws. According to the College Of Massage Therapists in which they are governed, “doula” services are not within our scope, and therefore cannot provide direct billing or registered receipts for those services.
A massage therapist providing labor support:
A massage therapist who provides support to you during labor through means of massage, physical support, education, position coaching, verbal guidance, encouragement, hydrotherapy, and resource sharing, is providing a service to you within the context of a massage therapy. We are happy to provide direct billing services and receipts for applicable services defined in our specifically designed birth packages .
Non-Registered Birth Services
A labor support RMT can only bill and issue receipts for massage therapy for techniques that are within their scope of practice. There may be other complementary services that a member of the team offers outside of massage therapy treatments.
Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula
Birth art
Birth photography
Aromatherpy
Hypno birthing
Herbal Medicine
Postpartum nutrition
ElleTENS fitting and rentals
Breast feeding support
Ceremonial Baths
Postpartum Recovery
Birth Photography
Perinatal Massage Therapy
