What is Infant Massage? This is a practice that's common in many lands and is now becoming popular in some Western countries. The Spanish Association for Infant Massage, in one magazine article I read recently, says that an infant massage is a subtle, tender, and pleasant technique that enables a parent to communicate physically and emotionally with the baby. It includes a series of gentle yet firm strokes of the baby's feet and legs as well as the back, chest, stomach, arms, and face.
Ok, so we've covered the basics. Now, you might be wondering, "What does a teeny tiny baby get from a massage?” Well above all, a feeling of love and tenderness. Suffice it to say, a newborn baby not only needs to be fed but also needs to receive parental affection and the most tangible way of communicating this feeling of love to a baby is through gentle massaging by the mother or father. Why? Because the sense of touch develops early in life. Much information - physical and emotional - can be transmitted to a baby. Therefore massaging helps cement a bond of affection between parents and their baby right from birth.
Another benefit of infant massage is that it teaches a baby to relax, which may contribute to longer sound sleep and less stress. Yes, just like adults, babies can get stressed too. Massage may also help to tone muscles as well as regulate the circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems. It may also benefit the infant's immune system, too. And since the baby's sense of touch, sight, and sound are stimulated, massage may also encourage memory and learning.
I don't have any kids yet. Heck, I'm not even married yet! But when I read about this whole infant massage thing, it really caught my interest and I knew I just had to share it with others. All the more so when I learned that some hospitals have looked into the value of infant massage as well. In fact, there was a study conducted in a hospital in Spain and it was found that premature babies who were given infant massages were able to leave the hospital up to seven days earlier than those who were not massaged. More importantly, those babies had an increased weight gain of up to 47% compared with the latter! Amazing, isn't it?
Evidently, we adults aren't the only ones who benefit from a good rubdown! So, to the mothers out there, take heed. Although a massage yields numerous physical benefits, for the little bundles of joy, it is more than just a rub. It is love expressed by warm hands and gentle fingers, along with a big smile. A truly remarkable experience. A touch of love.
