Baby Massage

[paradise lost]

Ok, so, i said i'd do this for some mums who were interested. I have a few books on baby massage as a friend of mine is a translator (German-English) and often sends me a copy of what she's translated if she can.

First a little bit about WHY people massage.

All mammals lick their young. This tactile stimulation has been seen to revive non-breathing infants and has been noted to continue long beyond the first day in young which seem to be failing to thrive well. Even animals such as the apes who have hands to caress do this. Some mums want to do it and many many many of us kiss and smell our newborns. SOme people in Tibet do still lick their young when there is no warm water to wash them. Many mammals dilate quickly and most deliver from full dilation to birth in a short time (2-15 minutes) despite the fact that in most cases they do not have a greater pelvic outlet/baby size ratio. Even apes do not push so long as humans. It is thought by some that the long period of pushing serves to stimulate human babies in the way the licking does for other young mammals. There have been many studies which show caesarean babies can have problems such as disorganised breathing or disinterest in eating and it is known that experiencing the sensations and hormones of labour does much to stimulate our young. This first massage of our babies by our bodies stimulates them into life and helps them arrive as vigorous as possible.

Massage is skin-to-skin contact and more. It directly influences the blood supply and stimulates circulation and the major organs, it stimulates and regulates breathing, it eases stomach pains and colic, it aids sleep and, perhaps most magically of all, it stimulates (as all loving touch in people of all ages does) the immune system! Massage harmonizes the body and brings peaceful function to the systems and senses.

In India many babies are swaddled most of the time, tied to their mothers backs while they work in the fields, but every few hours the baby is taken down, breastfed and then rythmically sung to and massaged. Despite spending much of their days wrapped in this way Indian infants crawl and walk as soon as any other babies, massage stimulates as much as activity can.

So which babies will benefit most? Well, ALL babies will benefit from massage, tactile touch is the most powerful loving tool in the world. From the skin to skin on our mothers breasts through hugs and kisses over cut knees to the sexual playful touch with our life-partners, tactile touch plays a significant role in our happiness and our well-being. Laughter is not the best medicine. Hugs are!

Some babies will especially benefit (and remember, the toucher gets as much benefit as the touchee in most cases, so this is another case where happy baby=happy mummy) from massage. Babies born by c-section, especially those who did not experience labour, premature babies (it has been seen how important skin-to-skin is for premmies), babies with colic, babies who are often ill with colds or coughs, babies who do not thrive well, babies who have trouble sleeping, babies who could not be breastfed (this is wonderful for the mum too as it can replace the closeness of BFing and really help with bonding, especially after difficult and/or traumatic births), adopted babies, hyperactive kids and hypoactive (inactive) kids, and children of all ages with disabilities all benefit immensely from massage. SOme mums will benefit more too - mums who had very hard births, who are having troubles with bonding and who are suffering with PND may benefit greatly from massage, and while it isn't a cure-all, it's a very good start in developing the rapport with your child you are craving.

There are times when a baby should NOT be massaged. If a baby has a high temperature, an acute infection, swollen lymph glands, internal bleeding or has an as-yet undiagnosed serious illness (i.e. if baby is obviously ill enough to need a doctor) you shouldn't massage. Massage helps to drain the lymphatic system and stimulates blood flow and this can interfere with the way the body deals with initial infection. There are some specifically safe techniques, but it's better to consult a doctor and then take the baby to a therapeutic masseus/physio to learn those.

Massage is also important in teaching children about their bodies and the difference between loving, benign and malign touch. A child massaged from babyhood will know right away from the feel of the touch when a relative loves them, when a doctor means no harm and when an abuser is doing wrong to them. They know the difference from the many hours of loving touch from their folks. In addition they are "in touch" with their body and its sensations and are often less self-conscious than other kids as they have been shown from a very young age that their body is loveable and beautiful and perfect, whatever shape or size it is.

Right, so that's WHY, i'll do another post for HOW, since this is getting long...

Bx