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It has become very popular to teach mothers infant massage. Is this just another popular fad in the mother and baby world or is there some therapeutic benefit in teaching mothers to massage their babies?
Benefits of massage:
- Spending quality time focussing on your baby
- Strengthening the physical and emotional bond with your baby
- Relaxation of your baby
- Improved sleep patterns
- Reduced crying
- Improved mood state of parents
Where can I learn massage?
Many GP surgeries run courses in infant massage. There are also private groups run around the country, see the links below for local groups. Massage is generally very easy to learn and an enjoyable experience for both parents and infants. There has been no evidence of any harmful effects of massage and there is much evidence of the positive effects for both mother and baby. Go to my links page to find a local instructor.
Experimental evidence:
Various research trials have shown benefits of infant massage:
One study showed that infants in an orphanage had a reduced incidence of diarrhoea compared with those who did not have massage. Infants without massage were also 11% more likely to experience illness of any kind than those who had massage (Ref.3).
A review of several studies that had been carried out showed evidence of improved mother-infant interaction, improved sleeping and reduced crying, and improved levels of hormones influencing stress levels in massaged infants (4)
Another study showed that performing baby massage positively affected the mood state of mothers when performed during the first three months after delivery (2).
Parents of children with autism often feel distressed that they are unable to get ‘close’ to their children. Children with autism are often emotionally detached from their environment. An intervention which taught parents to massage children with autism resulted in parents feeling physically and emotionally closer to their children. Massage is thought to enhance the emotional bond between parents and children with autism (5&6).
A study of the use of massage on premature infants showed an improvement in physiological responses and improved motor activity and awake state. Massage caused a greater awake state, more fidgeting or crying, and increased motor activity after the session (1). Massage is thought to enhance optimal physiological responses and behavioural organization in premature infants (1).
References
- The effect of infant massage on weight gain, physiological and behavioural responses in premature infants. Lee HK. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2005 Dec;35(8):1451-60.
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Effect of massaging babies on mothers: pilot study on the changes in mood states and salivary cortisol level. Fujita M, Endoh Y, Saimon N, Yamaguchi S. Complement Their Clin. Pract. 2006 Aug;12(3):181-5. Epub 2006 Mar 13
- Impact of massage therapy on health outcomes among orphaned infants in Ecuador: results of a randomized clinical trial. Jump VK, Fargo JD, Akers JF. Fam Community Health. 2006 Oct-Dec;29(4):314-9
- Massage intervention for promoting mental and physical health in infants aged under six months. Underdown A, Barlow J, Chung V, Stewart-Brown S. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Oct 18;(4):CD005038
- Exploring a massage intervention for parents and their children with autism: the implications for bonding and attachment. Cullen-Powell LA, Barlow JH, Cushway D. J Child Health Care. 2005 Dec;9(4):245-55
- Positive touch, the implications for parents and their children with autism: an exploratory study. Cullen LA, Barlow JH, Cushway D. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2005 Aug;11(3):182-9
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