The Carol Gray Center for CST Studies

02/12/2026

What's the most common cause of maternal death in the US during pregnancy and postpartum? Accidental drug overdose. What's the second most common cause of death during pregnancy and postpartum? Homicide. The CDC excludes homicide, su***de, and overdose in defining "maternal mortality".

Findings point to pregnancy, postpartum period as 'critical window of opportunity,' expert says

02/08/2026

Need an ethics class? Do you want it to be relevant to your bodywork practice? Do you want it to be online and interactive/supervised? Do you want OR, WA and NCBTMB to accept it for four hours of continuing education credit? Do you want to have fun while learning? This is your class. The next one is February 28th.

Professional Ethics for Bodyworkers $89 4 Hours: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Pacific Time This is an interactive live virtual class. It is not prerecorded. You’ll get a confirmation email when you register. You’ll get a reminder and a Zoom link for the online class 48 hours before it starts. Saturday F...

02/01/2026

The February newsletter is headed for inboxes. If you didn't get it, you can read it here: https://mailchi.mp/carolgray/g9uqin4gmc-17447461

01/05/2026

Last night I had a dream about Barbara Harper. She came to my house for dinner. She gave me two necklaces as gifts. The next day (in the dream) I posted about our visit on social media. One of my friends (in the dream) left me a voicemail saying that I should not post about other people because it would dilute my brand. I then called my friend and explained that Barbara is super famous and worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. I said it was an honor to know her. If anything, I was name dropping. That part is true in all realms. Here is a video of Barbara's presentation at a conference I hosted in 2014. Enjoy! I love you, Barbara.❤ Thank you for all the work you do to help babies and all of humanity.
Barbara Harper's Fan Page

© Carol Gray 2014 All Rights ReservedThis presentation was part of the Infant & Maternal CST Conference 2014, September 10-13 in Portland OregonBirth creates...

01/04/2026

It's newsletter time! If you don't get it in your inbox you can read it here: https://mailchi.mp/carolgray/g9uqin4gmc-17446887

01/02/2026

I've been working on a swaddling handout. What do you think?

When babies are swaddled for sleep they miss the benefits of movement. When babies are restricted from moving they can't effectively build strength and coordination in their bodies. The only way they can learn how to move and use their bodies is to actually do it.

If babies rarely stretch their arms, move their legs, wiggle their toes and touch their bodies, their learning and development may be delayed.

Newborns have protective reflexes that make them automatically turn their heads from side to side and bat things away from their faces. These reflexes diminish over time. Swaddling poses a suffocation risk for babies who are starting to roll from back to side and from back to front. If they have been allowed freedom of movement they are able to lift their heads and shift their weight. If they have not developed sufficient strength and coordination due to swaddling, they may become stranded face down when their newborn protective reflexes naturally diminish. This is especially true if they are swaddled when it happens.

Two months is the suggested age for stopping swaddling entirely. We recommend stopping it much sooner.

What are the benefits of swaddling?
1. Swaddling helps soothe an awake fussy baby in the first couple of weeks.
2. Babies who are placed on their backs for sleep may sleep longer if swaddled.
3. Swaddling for sleep may dampen the startle (Moro) reflex which could arouse a drowsy baby.
4. Denying access to their hands may prevent babies from scratching themselves.
5. Swaddling is an extra layer to keep a baby warm.

What are the downsides of swaddling?
1. A blanket can come undone and obstruct the baby's mouth or nose, making it hard to breathe.
2. Swaddling may cause overheating.
3. Lack of body mobility opportunities may delay development.
4. Swaddling may increase the risk of hip dysplasia if wrapped too tightly around the baby's lower body.
5. It interferes with normal motor skill acquisition by restricting shoulder mobility and arm movements. Babies need to develop shoulder girdle strength in order to get ready for crawling.
6. It inhibits skin to skin contact.
7. Swaddling may cause babies to sleep when they should be awake feeding. This may affect their growth and possibly jeopardize the milk supply.
8. Swaddling for sleep increases the time it takes the startle (Moro) reflex to go away. It takes practice.
9. Swaddling deprives babies access to their own hands. Babies need access to their hands:
- for hand eye coordination development.
- to show hunger cues.
- to learn about their own bodies.
- to calm themselves.
- to learn about the world around them.

12/02/2025

My top 10 things to do while awaiting the return of the light:
1. Take a bath
2. Delete things from the to-do list
3. Build raised garden beds
4. Sit by the fire
5. Make fun plans
6. Knit
7. Go for a walk
8. Call a friend
9. Make soup
10. Read a non work-related book
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What are yours?
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Here's the link to my December newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/carolgray/g9uqin4gmc-17446155

11/02/2025

The November newsletter is ready. You can read it here (if you don't already get it in your inbox): https://mailchi.mp/carolgray/g9uqin4gmc-17445373

10/28/2025

Need an ethics class? I still have openings in Professional Ethics for Bodyworkers on November 22. This is a live interactive virtual class (not prerecorded) approved by NCBTMB for 4 hours of continuing education credit. This class meets ethics/boundaries/communication requirements for LMTs including Washington and Oregon.

Professional Ethics for Bodyworkers $89 4 Hours: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Pacific Time This is an interactive live virtual class. It is not prerecorded. You’ll get a confirmation email when you register. You’ll get a reminder and a Zoom link for the online class 48 hours before it starts. Saturday N...

10/28/2025

CST for Infants October 2025. How many times have I taught this class? 80!!!! That's hundreds of students trained and THOUSANDS of babies treated in our clinics.
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It was pouring rain at the end of class so we took an indoor masked group photo. The one I like best is the one where we made silly faces.
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What's not silly? The beautiful baby treatments my students provided. Special thank you to Sasha Froblom, my fabulous teaching assistant.

10/19/2025

Last night my husband asked me how many times I've taught Subtle Hands-On Skills. I counted them up. Guess what? I've taught it 127 times. I had no idea the number was so high!
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Here are my students for the 127th Subtle Hands-On Skills class - October 2025 . This class was super special. Extra thanks to my amazing teaching assistant, Anjuli Shah-Johnson

10/02/2025

Here's a link to my latest newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/carolgray/g9uqin4gmc-17444638 It's October already!