Infant Massage

Infant massage has been around since the dawn of time. I'm sure that every mother learns very quickly the effect of touch of a baby. Vimala Schneider McClure brought this ancient art to the United States in the 1970's, after she observed the positive effect it had on infants in India. She practiced the Indian massage strokes on her own baby and observed its benefits first hand. Ms. McClure is the founder of the International Association of Infant Massage, and the author of "Infant Massage, a Handbook for Loving Parents". Swedish strokes, reflexology, and yoga along with the Indian massage strokes, make up the curriculum for teaching parents the art of infant massage.

The application of infant massage as a catalyst for normalizing a baby's physical and emotional life has a wide range of benefits, including helping to promote relaxation; improving sensory integration; helping aid deeper and longer sleep; encouraging mid-line orientation; assisting in bonding and attachment; assisting in vocalization; stimulating the circulatory and GI systems; assisting in pain relief; and enhancing neurological development.

The benefits of infant massage are a two-way street: Infant massage contributes to infant-parent attachment. The experience resonates with the baby, while bringing out nurturing qualities in parents. This is why infant massage is advocated as a parenting interaction, rather than as therapy performed by a massage therapist. Many leaders in the infant mental health field share this view: Infant massage is for those who will be raising the baby over the long haul.

Preterm Infants that received tactile/kinesthetic stimulation over a 10-day period. The infants averaged 21% greater weight gain per day and spent more time awake and active during sleep/wake behavior observations. Preterm infants who were massaged before sleep fell asleep more quickly and slept more soundly with better sleep patterns, then ones that had not received massage.

Massage has also been shown to have very positive benefits: such as the relief of discomfort, the breaking up and release of sinuses, relief of colic, and the coping with emotional distress.

Relief of discomfort: Massage releases both oxytocin and endorphins and therefore can assist in relieving discomfort from teething, congestion, colic and emotional stress.

Teething has been described as a painful struggle for some babies. Though infant massage has not been proven to relieve all discomfort associated with teething it can be successfully used in conjunction with the parent's choice of care during these times. In addition to providing the infant with reassurance and comfort, the endorphins and oxytocins released assist with pain relief and mood enhancement.

Congestion/Sinuses: The Swedish massage technique for 'breaking up' the congestion of mucous in the chest involves a form of tapotement. This technique, when learnt and practiced properly, can 'break up' the mucous in the lungs making it easier for infants to eliminate the excess mucous. Massaging the sinuses on the face helps clear the sinuses of excess mucous. This is helpful to infants as it eases the process of ridding the nasal passage of excess mucous.

Colic: A painful gas causing a distended, firm abdomen, which takes an infant a long period of time to eliminate without assistance. Repeating a small series of strokes on the abdomen has been used to relieve colic. In addition to this the stoking helps the infant to relax so that tension does not escalate their discomfort. By applying gentle pressure to the abdomen while stroking using a specific sequence, small amounts of gas trapped between other substances can be moved through the colon, assisting in elimination. If these small amounts are consistently being eliminated a build up of gas can be prevented.

Emotional Stress: Infants sometimes use their massage time to weep and though IMIS does not recommend that stroking continue through this crying we do believe this emotional release is positive. Studies have shown that withholding emotions can lead to health problems; it is for this reason that qualified instructors encourage parents to view an emotional release during massage as an opportunity to truly listen to their child and allow them to release tension.

Some of the general conditions for the infants massage are;

* Time - it is good to get baby into a routine where he/she knows when the massage will happen, whether it be first thing in the morning, after a bath, just before bedtime

* Temperature - make sure the room you are massaging in is warm - babies are not good at regulating their body temperature (especially premature infants).

* Light - it is best not to have the room too bright - and be especially careful not to have either electric light or sunlight shining in your baby's face as it will be uncomfortable for him or her.

* Oil - it has been shown that babies prefer massage with oil - massage therapists recommend a vegetable or plant oil, i.e. not traditional baby oil, which is mineral based. Plant based oils are easy to absorb into the skin, and easily digested if your