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Baby Massage (5 week course)
This group consists of babies with Parents/carers. Parents are encouraged and supported to feel confident in handling, learning from and listening to their babies.
Massage has been around for centuries in many forms. Just as mammals groom their young, so too is it vital for us as (larger!) mammals to stroke our young. We are not only nourished through the food that we ingest, but also through being aware that another human being is present with you and connecting with them.
The key words that I associate with the teaching of Baby Massage are:
TOUCHING,
TALKING,
ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING.
Statistics show that babies carried kangaroo-style often thrive quicker from the closeness of this contact. Premature babies are known to grow quicker and are happier from close proximity with their mothers.
In the classes, you are initially taught very basic strokes that are used not only to spread the oil onto your baby, but also to calm them down. The repetition of the strokes makes both the carer and the baby more confident and more relaxed as time goes by. Therefore, it is essential to be patient and diligent.
Other strokes are added as the weeks go on to help milk the muscles, soften any shock or trauma from the birth, assist respiration and digestion, and possibly relieve colic. Baby Massage has also been known to help relaxation with the baby and improve its sleeping patterns.
Most carers recognise a marked change after one or two sessions, and by the fifth session both mother/father and baby are having fun and enjoying the relationship that is developing between them.
It is advisable to come with your baby for at least two courses, or at least until the baby is crawling.
Carers should bring a towel. Oil is provided.
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