Infant Massage 
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Touch "But touch’d with human gentleness and love…" (Shakespeare) Babies love to be touched and in its simplest form Infant massage is just that, gentle touching and stroking. This very intimate and loving form of communication has so many positive benefits for you and your baby. From easing the trauma of birth, to enhancing and developing a loving bond, offering relaxation from a very new and stressful world, and even giving relief to minor physical conditions. Did you know that the human skin has over 5 million nerve endings? And when those nerve endings are stimulated in the course of a massage each one sends a signal of pleasure and well being to the brain. That’s pretty awesome! Birth Birth is a traumatic experience for both mother and baby.  However this soon changes to both wonder and delight as you hold for the first time this very precious gift of life. Your first skin on skin contact when you instinctively start to stroke and hold your baby, the comforting feeling of your gentle touch and soothing voice all help baby to overcome the trauma of birth and adjust to this new and exciting world. Over the next few weeks you can increase these loving strokes to a gentle 5 to 10 minute baby massage before progressing onto a full baby massage routine at the age of 6 to 8 weeks. Bonding Bonding, as defined by research psychologists Kennal and Klaus, is a unique relationship between two people that is specific and endures throughout time. We all seek relationships. It is in the nature of humans to want love, safety, and closeness with others. Your first relationship actually begins pre-birth. As the baby develops in your womb it is receptive to your voice and to your touch and you in turn can hear its heartbeat and feel the beginnings of life. 'This is the start of bonding'. Your daily infant massage routine can have many positive effects that help to deepen that loving bond. From providing warmth, passion, and security, to developing trust and respect. This special time spent together will also encourage baby to hear your loving voice and get to know your smell. Relaxation Relaxation works both ways. For you it means time out from your busy schedule. 20 to 30 minutes a day spent enjoying giving the calming and soothing effects of infant massage. For your baby it helps to relieve stress and anxiety. Massaging baby can help calm him down during periods of ‘fussiness’ and assists with longer periods of deep sleep, leaving baby feeling more content when awake. What is Infant Massage?  Infant massage is made up several different strokes including, Indian and Swedish Massage and Reflexology.The massage is not manipulative in the way an adult massage may be, just gentle strokes that are long, slow and rhythmic, with just enough pressure to be comfortable but stimulating. Massage should be introduced a little at a time to allow baby to become accustomed to the new routine and not over stimulated. |
