The Benefits and Joys of Infant Massage
By Jane Sheppard
Some of the most precious memories I have
from when I was a new mother were giving my
baby massages. I recall cradling my daughter
in my lap while leaning back in my rocking
chair with soft, melodic music playing in
the background, and gently massaging her soft
skin. While massaging her, I could feel her
entire body relax as I felt my own body and
spirit fall into a quiet peace, letting my
tension and stress disappear.
Benefits for Baby
Touch is a primal need, and the first important
mode of communication between a mother and
her new baby. Nurturing touch communicates
love, the main ingredient for physical and
emotional growth and well-being. The one-on-one
interaction of infant massage promotes health
on all levels – psychologically, emotionally,
developmentally and physiologically. Massage
improves circulation, strengthens immunity,
enhances neurological development, and stimulates
digestion, providing relief of gas and colic.
Massage can also raise a child's sense of
self and worth, which is tied to developing
self-esteem.
When babies are upset, a soothing massage
can lessen their tension and irritability
and help them to feel more secure. In our
culture, babies are born into a fast-paced,
technologically advanced world with many unknown
situations. This environment can create stress
for a newborn. Without relief, this stress
can accumulate and may cause a baby to shut
down or block sensory intake and learning.
Massage is a great buffer against stress.
When we give our babies massage, we teach
them how to relax. When relaxation is learned
this early in life, they can have a lifetime
tool for dealing with stress.
The benefits of infant massage are continually
unfolding in scientific research. The Touch
Research Institute at the University of Miami
conducts research on the benefits of nurturing
touch. They have published studies that suggest
that touch deprivation negatively affects
the immune system and massage can stimulate
immunity. In studies on touch deprivation
among preschool children who were separated
from their mother, they noted more frequent
illnesses, particularly upper respiratory
infections, diarrhea and constipation. A suppressed
immune response has also been noted in several
studies that monitored the separation of monkeys
from their mothers. In a study on human infants
(10 weeks old) the opposite effects were noted
when the mothers provided extra tactile stimulation.
The infants whose backs were massaged by their
mothers experienced fewer colds and fewer
occurrences of diarrhea.
Other studies involved preterm infants who,
upon receiving daily massages, averaged 47%
more weight gain than infants in the control
group. The studies suggest that the tactile
deprivation that many preterm infants experience
in intensive care may delay their recovery.
Massage therapy helps preterm neonates grow
more quickly and leave the hospital sooner.
The benefits of massage are carried into
adulthood. Research findings indicate that
the secure attachments with primary caregivers
formed in infancy produce adults more capable
of healthy, happy, and trusting relationships.
When the attachment bonds are not formed,
children grow up being less sympathetic to
others, and relationships lack trust and intimacy.
Love, trust, compassion, warmth, openness
and respect are conveyed through massage.
The attachment bond of being held and touched
helps make children more compassionate, loving,
relaxed and natural. Studies have demonstrated
that in societies where people are breastfed,
massaged, carried and held as babies, the
adults are less aggressive and violent, and
more cooperative and compassionate.
Benefits for Parents
Massage is a pleasurable way to develop trust
and intimacy with your baby and strengthen
the bond between the two of you. It can promote
a strong sense of confidence in parenting,
since you can receive a great deal of feedback
about your baby. Through massage, you can
become more aware of how your baby communicates.
You can also discover her threshold for stimulation
by watching her body language and noticing
how she looks and feels when she is tense
or relaxed.
Parents can also find relaxation, peace,
and calming for themselves through infant
massage. Fathers can be wonderful at infant
massage. Giving massage can give them positive
interaction and a special bond with their
baby at a time when a father can easily feel
left out.
Origins of Infant Massage
Infant massage is fairly new in the United
States and other western countries. However,
massaging babies has been a parenting tradition
in many cultures for centuries. In India,
mothers regularly massage everyone in their
families and pass this knowledge on to their
daughters. After studying and working in India
in the early 1970s and learning how mothers
massaged their babies, Vimala McClure brought
the practice of infant massage to the west
in her book, Infant
Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents.
She developed a curriculum that includes Swedish
strokes, reflexology, and yoga, along with
Indian massage strokes, and shared her discoveries
with other parents. Interest in the art of
infant massage continues to grow, and Vimala’s
organization, the International Association
of Infant Massage Instructors, has trained
hundreds of massage instructors all over the
world.
Giving a Massage
Choose a place that is warm, quiet and comfortable
for your baby’s massage. For massage oil,
the best choices are light, organic, cold-pressed
vegetable oils, such as safflower, apricot
kernel or almond. Commercially produced mineral-type
baby oils have a nonorganic, nonfood petroleum
base and are not a good choice. All of your
massage strokes should be soft and gentle,
long, slow and rhythmic, with just enough
pressure to be comfortable but stimulating.
Listen to and watch your baby's reactions
and respond accordingly. Let your baby set
the pace. You can learn infant massage techniques
by reading Infant
Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents,
by Vimala Schneider McClure (available in
bookstores or at Amazon.com) or by taking
an infant massage class. To find an instructor
in your area, contact the International Association
of Infant Massage Instructors.
Many Certified Infant Massage Instructors
have developed specialized programs for special
needs, premature babies and teen parents.
Your massages will have to be adapted as
your baby grows into a child. When a baby
begins crawling or walking, there are just
too many exciting things to explore and the
baby may crawl or walk away from the massage,
making it harder or impossible to do. It’s
never a good idea to force a child to receive
a massage. Just wait until the child is ready
again. Preschoolers usually love massage,
and they can stay still for a longer period
of time. My preschooler continues to love
her massages and even likes to give me massages
now. You can include rhymes and games along
with the massage to keep it fun. School-age
children may also love massage and benefit
from it, but don’t try to push it on them
if they don’t want it. Massage can be very
beneficial to adolescents, who are usually
concerned about body image and facing a lot
of emotional challenges. You can always ask
them if they’d like their neck and shoulders
massaged when they are doing their homework.
If they’ve experienced massage from an early
age, they may even ask you periodically for
a massage. Again, never try to force a massage
on your children. Always ask permission first.
Your entire family can benefit from the loving
art of massage. Give your children this gift
of love and security. You will be participating
in helping to create a future generation that
is nonviolent, compassionate, caring, and
able to cope with the stresses of a hectic
world.
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Use
the information provided on this site as an
educational resource for determining your
options and making your own informed choices.
It is not intended as medical advice or to
diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific
illness.