Baby Massage

To say that motherhood caught me completely unprepared is an understatement. Sure, I knew that busy days and sleepless nights came with the territory but my experience seemed so different to the other new mums around me.

It started soon after my son was born. I’d been induced 11 days after my due date and after four intense hours of labour, Nolan arrived into the world purple, screaming and perfect.

The problem was, Nolan didn’t stop screaming. The first night in hospital he barely slept. I spent hours trying to breastfeed him but found getting him to latch on incredibly difficult. When my partner, Guy, eventually went home for the night I felt so overwhelmed and alone that I cried.

For the next few days we waited for my milk to come in, convinced Nolan would settle after a decent feed. He didn’t. His constant fussing and screaming made it impossible to be in the room we shared with three other mums and their newborns. All I wanted to do was go home. I thought things would get better in the quite comfort of our house.

But our first night at home it became clear that this was not going to be the case. Guy and I stayed up until 2am trying to put Nolan to bed. No sooner would we get him to sleep than he would be awake and crying again. During the day I couldn’t take him anywhere because he was always screaming. People would throw me scornful looks as I tried desperately to calm him. At home he would cry or scream when I put him down and only quieten when I picked him up. I spent most of the day feeding him. I felt like a failure as a mother and would burst into tears regularly.

Desperate for help
For the next few months I sought advice from every source I could think of. I went to GP’s, paediatricians and community health nurses. We tried Sleep School. I read countless books, trawled the Internet and spoke to every mother I knew who had babies or young children. All the information conflicted. I would do something a book suggested and then mention it to a doctor who would laugh and tell me to do something completely different.

One day, while using Facebook, a page suggestion appeared for baby massage. I’d never heard of the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM) and was pleased to read that they were looking for difficult babies to take part in the course to see if they could help make life easier for mum and bub. I immediately sent them an email and within a couple days Nolan and I were signed up for a course.

Massage magic
On the first day we learned massage techniques for the feet and legs. Nolan was really responsive to the massage and particularly enjoyed having his feet rubbed. As soon as we got in the car he fell asleep and didn’t wake up until we got home an hour and a half later. That night after his bath I gave him another leg and foot massage and he gooed and gurgled and didn’t fuss or cry while I put his pyjamas on. I couldn’t wait to go back for our next class!]

As we learned new techniques I could see Nolan starting to enjoy himself. One of the best massages I learned was to help ease colic or tummy pain. It proved worthwhile when Nolan was having a bad day at home a few days later. He was unsettled and wouldn’t stop crying. I noticed that his little belly was quite swollen and bloated so I decided to try the colic massage. By the time I’d finished he was so much happier. He settled down, had a nap and woke up feeling much better. He must have had a pocket of wind trapped in his little belly and the massage technique had helped to move it along and get rid of it.

Nowadays, I massage Nolan four or five times a week, usually in the afternoon before his nap. It makes a big difference to his mood and helps to calm and soothe him. Sometimes if he has a pain in his tummy, or is particularly unsettled, I offer him a few massage strokes and he loves it. It’s really nice to have physical contact with him that isn’t just changing his nappy or giving him a bath.

After trying so many things to help Nolan feed and sleep better, joining the IAIM class was an absolute blessing. I feel more confident and relaxed and he has been coming along in leaps and bounds ever since. Now, at eight months old, he is like a different baby. He is happy, bubbly and confident and always has a smile on his face. He is thriving and loving life and massage has played a huge part in us getting through some very trying times.

Baby massage: what is it?
Infant Massage originated in India and is a traditional practice amongst many Indian cultures and communities. American volunteer Vimala McClure, who had been working in Indian orphanages, brought it to the US in the 1970s. After teaching infant massage for several years, Vimala partnered up with Audrey Downes and established the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM). The IAIM is now active in over 35 countries across the world.

IAIM Australia is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation that promotes healthy and secure parent and infant attachment relationships through parent education, professional training and research. There are approximately 150 certified infant massage instructors in Australia.

How do I learn?
IAIM Australia president Alice Campbell says it is important to learn infant massage from a certified infant massage instructor.

“There are lots of ‘how to’ guides that teach the mechanics of some massage strokes but infant massage can be so much more than just strokes,” Alice says. “The IAIM program has been shown to have many positive effects for specific groups, including dads, mums with postnatal depression, babies with disabilities or serious medical conditions and premature babies.”

IAIM courses generally run for an hour each week, over four to six weeks. Costs range from $140 to $200 and usually include materials such as massage oils and handouts and refreshments after each class.

What are the benefits?
Studies using the IAIM program have found that infant massage has many benefits. They include:
• Promotes early contact with both parents
• Improves bonding and secure attachment
• Improves parent confidence and trust in their own abilities
• Stimulates the nervous system, circulatory and digestive systems and brain
• Relieves gas, tummy troubles and “colic”
• Improves sleep patterns