-William and Martha Sears, authors of The Baby Book

As if parents need an excuse to caress and cuddle baby, this month’s newsletter is all about infant massage. Certified Instructor of Infant Massage, Laura Minnigerode explores the wonderful physical and emotional benefits of infant massage.

We practice massage in our home using the Harmony baby oil. It has a light, floral scent that my girls really enjoy. It is my hope that the scent of lavender will trigger safe and happy memories for a lifetime. It's never too late to start. Afterall, who among us does not enjoy a relaxing massage?

--Stacie Jacobs, Founder of Baby Blossoms

The importance of Infant Massage

By Laura Minnegerode, M. Ed, CIIM

One of life’s precious moments is gazing lovingly at a new baby, communicating through eye contact and touch. It’s so simple, yet profoundly beautiful.

Parents can create a special time like this for baby through infant massage. The massage session is a loving interaction using nurturing touch, massage, and reflexology.

This exchange nourishes baby both physically and emotionally. Classes for expecting or new parents in Infant Massage are available around the country, and internationally. In an infant massage class, you’ll learn a simple set of strokes you can use at home. You’ll also meet other parents like you and enjoy a special time with your child.

Relaxation and Organization
A baby’s nervous system is immature at birth. Infants live in a world full of sound, color, light and sensations without the tools to completely process them. We sometimes describe the panicky, fussy state a newborn gets into as “disorganization”- not unlike the way we feel as adults when we can’t quite get everything together.

Stimulation of the skin, in massage, aids in nervous system development. Thus, babies who are massaged have been found as better “organized”.

Touch also helps babies learn to relax. This relaxation in turn reduces fussiness, and often allows sleep to come more easily and more deeply.

Digestive Health
Massage strokes can improve digestion. Stroking a baby’s tummy in a clock-wise direction, we help relieve baby’s gas and constipation as well as improve digestion.

This massage also strengthens the development of the digestive system. One study relates this improvement to an increase in the baby’s production of insulin, a food absorption hormone. Babies who are massaged also gain weight more readily.

Colic
Colic, which refers to uncontrolled episodes of crying in an otherwise healthy baby, can be torturous for both a new baby and the parents. The use of regular massage can also help relieve the distress babies and parents experience due to colic. An instructor of infant massage can demonstrate the colic “massage prescription”.

Special Needs
The positive outcomes of massage with pre-term infants are well documented. Nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are frequently trained in infant massage. The nurses teach parents, who can use the massage to bond with and support their tiny new ones.

In one study, preterm infants who were massaged gained 47% more weight, became more socially responsive, and were discharged 6 days earlier than babies who weren’t massaged.

Massage has powerful benefits for other babies with special needs. It increases general relaxation and stimulates muscle tone for babies with cerebral palsy or other hypertonic states. It helps to regulate hypersensitivity, often seen in drug-exposed babies.

Emotional Wellbeing
These physical benefits are a powerful and persuasive argument for massage. However, there is more to a massage session than meets the eye. The exchange of loving glances, and mirroring of facial expressions is critical in the formation of a secure attachment between child and parent.

Recent work in the field of psychiatry has established direct links between secure attachment, development of efficient right brain regulatory functions, and adaptive infant mental health.

Cross-cultural studies have also shown that cultures where parents use nurturing touch there is a lower incidence of violent crime and domestic violence.

Parents are nurtured by this touch as well. Mothers who are dealing with post-partum depression have difficulty creating a positive relationship with their infants. Being involved in an infant massage class has been found as one of few effective approaches for improving this situation.

In one study, a group of mothers with post-partum depression who attended 5 massage classes was compared with a similar group who attended a support group. At the end of the test period the massage group had significantly less depression and better interaction with their babies, than the control group.

Massage is great support for the relationship between father and baby. The Touch Research Institute (at the University of Miami) conducted a study where fathers gave their infants daily massages 15 minutes prior to bedtime for one month. The fathers in the massage group showed more optimal interaction behavior with their infants than fathers who were in a control group.

My own experience with massaging my two children has been priceless. The “baby-sage” days are gone for me, but the experience is still part of our lives. Massage is part of our nightly routine, and my three year old looks forward with excitement to her massage.

What you need for massage with your baby:
-A warm space, where you can massage baby without putting pressure on your back or shoulders (the floor or a bed can work well)
-dimmed light, and soft music, if you prefer
-Organic oil, to lightly coat your hands*

*Research has shown that infants have lower cortisol levels (stress hormones) following massage with oil versus massage without oil

Where to find more information:
Certified Infant Massage Instructor Training, and more information about the benefits of attachment, communication, and massage:

A Foundation for Healthy Family Living
www.healthyfamily.org

Research Data on Benefits of Massage:
Touch Research Institute at University of Miami
www.miami.edu/touch-research/index.html

More information on attunement and mental health: The Effects of a Secure Attachment Relationship on Right Brain Development, Affect Regulation, and Infant Mental Health www.trauma-pages.com/schore-2001a.htm

Book:
Infant Massage for Loving Parents
Vimala Schneider McClure

How to find a class in your area:
Check with local hospitals, birthing centers, doulas or prenatal massage specialists

About the Author
Laura Minnigerode, M. Ed, CIIM, is a Certified Instructor of Infant Massage. She can be contacted at 415-883-8785 or laura_minnigerode@yahoo.com