Is it appropriate to Rolf a pregnant woman?

From my point of view, the ideal situation is one in which a woman receives the basic tenseries before ever getting pregnant. Pregnancy and birth are so much easier for most women if they have been Rolfed first. And a Rolfer can be so much more helpful during and after pregnancy once the ten series has been accomplished. During pregnancy the Rolfer can be available for maintenance Rolfing as needed to ease any emerging structural difficulties. Afterbirth, post ten Rolfing or an advanced three series can be enormously helpful in bringing a woman’s pelvis and body back into the right order.

However, life rarely presents us with our version of ideal situations, and some Rolfers are working with pregnant women. Therefore, we need to examine how much, how little, and what kind of Rolfing is appropriate during pregnancy. As a rule of thumb, I think it is unwise to take a pregnant woman any further than the first three sessions of the ten-series. If she were three months pregnant and there were no contraindications, I might consider doing the first three sessions. If she were seven or eight months pregnant, I would not even consider doing three sessions. I definitely would not try to make any major structural changes. Rather, I would just use what I know to make her as comfortable as I could. I might even teach her husband to do simple pelvic lifts if she were having back troubles. Ease and comfort would be my goal, not major structural change.

The major reason for stopping at the third session is that the adductor ramus work of the fourth session can stimulate and begin the birthing process. In fact, one can use these fourth session considerations to help initiate the birthing process for a woman who is past due. But other wise, it is obviously a risky business to be initiating this kind of core work during pregnancy. It is also risky, depending on how advanced the pregnancy is, to be doing fifth session psoas work.

I know of a Rolfer who took a pregnant woman all the way through the ten-series to the woman’s benefit. He is an advanced Rolfer with a lot of finesse. But generally I think the risk in following his example is too great and that we should proceed with extreme caution.

Right after conception, a woman’s body begins a profound process of change at many levels. One very important change has to do with the release of estrogen into the system. Its purpose is to begin softening and loosening connective tissues so the pelvis can open during birth. Some medical professionals speculate it is this softening and loosening which is responsible for the aches and pains many women experience during pregnancy. From our point of view, it is obviously a new struggle with gravity that ensues during these months as the woman’s body is forced to distribute its weight in new ways. As the connective tissues continue to soften, previous compensations throughout her body are bound to be affected. Sometimes new aches and pains show up, and sometimes old problems are exacerbated. This progressives oftening of connective tissues through the action of estrogen suggests a pregnant woman’s body may be much more available for deep change from Rolfing than it might otherwise be. This is just one more reason to proceed with great caution.

Jeff Maitland is a Rolfing Instructor who resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.Rolfing and Pregnancy