Baby Massage – Learning Positive Touch for Life
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Written by demo
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Looking down at my 8 week old daughter wriggling her bare legs in the
air I smiled ear to ear. I was running very late for our first baby
massage class together and just about ready to pop her into the sling
when I realised she was nearly naked and I didn't have any shoes on.
For some reason it looks so natural for them to be naked and I would often leave her in just her cloth nappy.
I finally arrived nearly 10 minutes late to what would turn out to be the most memorable classes I would experience with my new little baby.
My baby massage teacher, Chris Woollatt was a lovely lady and made the classes very relaxing and engaging. She gently guided us through a full body massage routine, encouraging our natural urge to comfort and soothe our babies and explaining different yoga moves and reflexology points. Week by week we learned sweet songs and lullabies our babies would soon grow to love. At times the hormones would just rush over me and my eyes would well up with tears. The classes were a wonderful experience I won't ever forget. A 15 minute baby massage quickly worked it's way into our bedtime routine and Sianna soon began to sleep more soundly, something I know all mums are grateful for. Soon enough my husband wanted to know what all the fuss was about and gave baby massage a try. He loved it and massaged Sianna once a week as I guided him through the moves and songs. Yes, incredibly, I got him to sing too!
More deeply however, baby massage opened a new chapter in my life and encouraged me to think about my influences as a parent. I learned that massage is like food for our babies. They need it; they cry for it; they crave it! Positive touch through massage can encourage high self-esteem levels in older children as massage from the parents conveys a message of acceptance and unconditional love. Massage also releases positive hormones and encourages relaxation, reduces stress and releases tension in both the parents and the child; very important for a healthy immune system. Massaging your baby or child is telling them you love them without saying a word.
Sianna has now grown to be a giving, affectionate and very intelligent little girl. (Of course I say that, I'm her mum.) Seriously though, I've taught her how much fun it is to give massages and she often shares her healing hands with her Mummy and Daddy. It's adorable. Nothing is better than waking up on a Sunday morning with your little girl asking if you would like a back massage? She's actually gotten quite good. As much as she is keen to give a back rub, Sianna will never turn down a full body massage herself and still enjoys the pampering about twice a week. Hand or foot rubs come in handy too. Especially to calm temper tantrums or soothe growing pains and aching muscles during colds and flues.
Spending just 5-10 minutes of my time twice a week to completely surrender and love her through massage is a special time for us, something I hope we can share for many years to come.
Lynnea Shrief is a qualified Baby Massage Instructor and teaches classes in Surrey. See website fore more information. www.koalatherapies.com
Chris Woollatt teaches regular classes in Walton upon Thames.
Photos taken by Vicki Knights – www.vickiknights.co.uk and Katrina Lee.
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