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 Baby Massage and Postnatal Support Group Baby massage is good for babies and their parents.
Make friends, have fun, and massage your baby.
Courses coming up, venue South Kensington:
Thursday 22nd April
10:30-12:30 for 6 weeks
Or organise your own course for your own friends in your own home.
You can invite your friends and I can come to your home and teach a course. You can arrange the course to suit your needs, but 3-6 classes would be typical. Included in the cost would be oil, instruction booklet and a certificate at the end of the course. Dates and times would be arranged to suit you.
Research shows that babies who are regularly massaged sleep longer and have less colic. Mothers who massage their babies are less likely to suffer postnatal depression or recover more quickly because massage aids bonding. Classes are small and friendly, so it’s a very good way to meet other parents. Jean Goodliffe is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor and member of the International Association of Infant Massage.
This is an informal and friendly local group. Each week we learn new strokes and all about the many benefits of baby massage – such as improved sleep, digestion and bonding. We also learn rhymes, songs and lullabies to sing while you massage. The class is small and there is lots of time so you can do the massage as and when you feel ready, and you can have as much individual attention as you need. I provide you with a very clear instruction booklet and a little bottle of suitable oil.
This group is suitable for babies from a few weeks old until crawling age. As well as learning about baby massage we have informal discussions about sleeping, feeding, routines, weaning, teething, going back to work and much more. It provides a calm and gentle environment that is very suitable for new mums, with lots of opportunity to make friends and chat.
Baby Massage Classes in your own home
These can be one-to-one classes or or can organise a group of up to 8 friends (depending on space) to share a course of 4 classes. You can arrange the day and time to suit you, subject to availability. This is a lovely way to add an extra dimension to a coffee morning or postnatal get together.
See below for more information about baby massage
To visit the web site of the International Association of Infant Massage go to www.iaim.org.uk
Why massage your baby?
(Massage works best with babies aged from 2 weeks to crawling.)
In many countries worldwide, baby massage is a traditional practice passed down through the generations. It’s accepted as a natural, loving way for parents to get to know their new baby. The need to touch and be touched is a natural instinct. As soon as he or she is born, you will probably want to touch and soothe your baby. And if you don’t feel a bond straightaway, massage can be one way to build the process.Knowing that your touch is comforting can help you feel more relaxed and positive about caring for your baby. And it’s a great way for dads and grandparents to feel more involved too. There are many benefits and research shows that regular baby massage can: · improve your relationship with your baby and build your confidence as a mother· improve sleep and make babies easier to soothe· help with colic and constipation· help with nasal congestion and improve breathing· help with teething· generally strengthen digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems · boost immunity - regularly massaged babies catch fewer colds etc· improve flexibility, co-ordination and suppleness · improve skin texture · promote your baby’s general wellbeing by stimulating the release of endorphins – which subdue pain – and reduce the circulation of cortisol (the stress hormone) in the bloodstream.
Frequently asked questions
(I recommend Vimala McClure's book, Infant Massage, A Handbook for Loving Parents)
1. Why learn a particular massage routine?
To a baby, touch is talk. The routine I have been trained to teach has been passed down from mother to daughter in India for centuries. There is a rhythm to it that is hard to duplicate in other ways. Why reinvent the wheel? It can be a daily ritual that lets you center yourself, and connect deeply to your baby.
2. Why follow a set routine?
The value of doing the same thing over and over exactly the same is that you can forget about "how" to do it and just flow with the rhythm. Following a set routine will help your baby know what to expect, and the massage will be deeply satisfying and relaxing for both of you. All loving touch is beneficial, and you must touch your baby in new and interesting ways, too, but at times other than during the massage. There may come a time when the child's life is disrupted. Perhaps a move, a hospitalization, some upheaval in the child's world. You will be able to use your routine to connect with, and settle the child.
3. Why every day?
A day is a very long time to a baby. Remember when you were 12, and time moved more slowly? That was because one year was 1/12th of your life experience. Have you noticed how time seems to move faster as the denominator changes? (When you are 28, a year is 1/28th of your life, for example). A baby gains a huge amount of life experience EVERY DAY. To a baby, touch is important for growth, and for developing an understanding; slowly, that they HAVE a body with arms and legs.
4. How long does it take?
20 to 30 minutes! A baby isn't very big, you can do a complete massage in that time. But give yourself, and your baby, time to learn the strokes. At first, you will be referring to the booklet I will give you, but once you are familiar with the routine you and your baby will develop your own rhythm.
5. My baby doesn't seem to like massage, now what?
How to start slowly, with the legs, is discussed in the classes. You may have to be persistent to get your child into a massage rhythm with you. This child needs it even more than others, it is worth persisting. A baby can't even turn over, or can't move about as we do if their muscles get sore and cramped. They may be uncomfortable, and at first, just as when you get a back-rub, they become MORE aware of the discomfort in their body. Follow your baby's lead, continue to offer small amounts of massage a few times a day.
6. What happens when they get older?
The two of you will modify the routine to something that works for you. You may find as they go through important developmental stages that they won't want a massage, as they are concentrating on whatever task they are trying to learn. When they have passed this particular stage they may settle into the massage routine again. It may depend on their personality. Some children never stop once they are up and running, others will still want the bedtime routine of the massage. Some mothers just massage whatever part appears in front of them as the child moves around. They may act like they aren't noticing but they are. Toddlers like to rub themselves with lotion. Older children may want a back-rub or leg rub as part of the good-night routine. |
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0207-373-7939