An
Introduction to Infant Massage
We
all love to cuddle our babies and babies always respond
positively to touch. It's our way of communicating
our love
for each other and is essential for sustaining the
bonding
process.
I'm
sure you don't need an excuse for focusing all your
attention on your baby, but here's something you may
not
have tried - infant massage. It's a simple technique
using
rhythmic stroking that has considerable benefits for
both
mother (or father!) and baby.
Infant massage can:
help to nurture bonding between parent and baby
help baby to have a more restful sleep
help to relieve the discomfort associated with gas and
colic
stimulate the senses
encourage body awareness
promote the strengthening of the digestive, respiratory
and circulatory systems
increase parents confidence and sensitivity to baby's
cues
relax and release tension.
It is important to choose the "right time"
to give your baby
a massage. Choose a time of day when he is content.
Make sure that you are calm and are not in a hurry
- remember your baby can sense your mood. Have everything
you need close at hand - towel, oil, clean nappy and
clothes. The room should be warm and lighting must
be soft and comforting. You can have soothing music
playing in the background to help create a relaxing
atmosphere.
The safest way to massage your baby is to sit on the
floor
and have the baby on a towel on your lap, but if you
find
this difficult you can put him on a large blanket
on the
floor next to you.
To get started talk to your baby in a soothing voice
and lie
him on his back so that he can see what you are doing.
Then rub a suitable massage oil onto the palms of
your
hands.
1. Begin with the legs - using both hands, one on
each leg,
start from the ankles and with long slow strokes work
up
to the tops of the legs. Then glide your hands down
again
to the feet. Don't apply any pressure in the downward
glide as this goes against the flow of circulation.
Repeat three or four times.
2. Hold one foot in each hand - your fingers should
be on
top of the foot and your thumb on the sole. Move your
thumb in slow, gentle circles over the middle area
of the sole of the foot, first in one direction then
the other. Repeat three or four times.
3. From the feet stroke your hands up the legs to
the
abdomen and using the palm of one hand gently massage
the abdomen in a clockwise direction.
4. Move up to and circle around the shoulders. Glide
gently
down the arms to the wrists and up to the shoulders
again.
Repeat three or four times.
5. If your baby is still happy with his massage and
has not
become restless turn him over with his head facing
your
feet. If he is on your lap you will obviously only
be able
to use one hand for massage.
6. Massage the back of the legs from ankles to bottom.
Put your hands on top of the buttocks and glide them
with
one hand on either side of the spine (unless the baby
is on
your lap - then use one hand and keep the other free
to hold him steady) up to the neck, out over the shoulders
and back down the sides of the body to the buttocks
again. Repeat.
If at any time during the massage your baby shows
signs of not wanting you to carry on massaging him,
stop. You can always try again another day.
This can become part of your daily schedule. Many
of the
strokes used in the massage routine are similar to
washing
the arms, legs, chest and back so you could incorporate
this into your bathing routine.
This is a natural way to promote infant health; it's
easy to
learn and is enjoyable to do. So what are you waiting
for?
Communicate with your baby in the language most meaningful
to him and you will find it a deeply satisfying and
rewarding experience for both of you.
For more information about infant massage visit:
http://www.iaim-us.com or
http://www.infantmassage.com
Chrisoulla Nicolaou
Copyright © 2001 all rights reserved.
Chrisoulla
Nicolaou publishes the Baby Talk ezine because
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