Introduction  – Session 1

When babies are first born their first sense of massage is through the birth canal in which contractions push baby through.  These contractions help to massage the baby along with the internal organs. We want to continue this from as early as possible with Developmental Massage. However, it needs to be introduced slowly and carefully which is where our first session comes in.

Session one gives parents a chance to be reassured with various holding techniques and touch techniques all with babies clothed.  It allows parents to be more hands on and get in touch with the feel of the baby socially and emotionally and also allow baby to do the same. This gives a gentle introduction to what we will cover in the course and gives the opportunity to perform the skin test with the oil.

Ice Breaker – How did you name your baby?

1. Allow mothers a few minutes laying on their tummies (tummy time) at the beginning. Ask them to take some deep breaths and talk about the reason we encourage tummy time for our babies both in massage and yoga. It opens up the chest cavity, allowing you to take a third more oxygen in through the lungs.

• Sitting with baby resting in the ‘crook’ of your arm, massage your baby’s belly from side to side.
• In the same position (with eyes closed if parent feels comfortable) ask them to feel the contours of your baby’s body, squeezing very gently the legs and feet, arms and hands, chest, back, head and back to the tummy. Tell them to take their time. This is all about getting parents and babies comfortable.
• Now sit your baby up straight and bring your arms under your baby’s arms. And sit baby over your thigh leaning forward with their arms extended forward in line with their shoulders, resting over your forearm, head and back leaning forward. With clean relaxed open hands, rubbing baby’s head and back downwards and from side to side elbow to elbow, to release the shoulders.

Benefits: Helps parents hands to relax and open and puts parent and child in touch more. Develops parents handling skills and confidence and assists child to recognise their parents more through the sense of touch. Helps baby to lift head and relax arms and shoulders to make lying on tummy easier.

• With baby’s arms extended over your arm over your thigh, gently rocking with baby laying belly forward over your knees, rubbing baby’s back and massaging side to side, elbow to elbow to free shoulders.
• With baby’s arms and legs extended over your thighs rock gently and stroke and rub baby’s back and legs to make them comfortable.

Benefits:

Opens and relaxes baby through the front of the body. Arms and Shoulders, Chest, Tummy and Legs. Assists baby to open the chest and to relax the abdominal muscles and to breathe deeper. Explain the benefits of tummy massage to; General relaxation and digestion.

Physiological flexion

Explain and demonstrate simply (squatting in foetal position to standing up-right) the baby’s pattern of development, from birth to standing. And the three main areas of development

• the belly explain breathing, emotions and stamina,
• the hips explain flexibility and sitting
• the back explain relationship between body and gravity.

Song suggestions: You are My Sunshine. Arm stretching. Explain that babies may not stretch arms all the way to the top, but this will be repeated in week 6 to see the progression.

Discuss again the benefits of tummy time and when ready, show how to introduce the belly forward position on tummy on the floor with the front of the towel rolled up under baby’s armpits.

Benefits: Reduction of physiological flexion, allowing babies to naturally uncurl.

Tiger in the Tree

With parents standing, demonstrate Tiger in the Tree pose with baby lying down the arm and explain it’s benefits. Get them to take a big breath in through the nose and out through the mouth and circle the shoulders to ensure they are relaxed, explaining that if they are relaxed, baby will be too. First, get the parents to gently kneed the tummy from side to side using the hand underneath, the weight of baby makes this a very efficient massage technique. Then practice a gentle swing.

Walking with Tiger in the Tree.

Benefits: Relaxes the tummy, relieves birth trauma and can help bring up wind to relieve colic. So this is a grat position for after a feed or if baby is fractious. However, it is beneficial to practice this daily as babies will find it a comforting hold and relaxation of the tummy is great for little ones. Encourage them to use this regularly at home.

Songs to include: The More We Get Together

Some additional benefits of introducing developmental baby massage early is to identify any areas of hypo or hyper mobility / hidden stiffness or excessive flexibility or floppiness that could signal potential developmental delay.

However, the earlier you address developmental delay and /or any stiffness the better the possibilities of alleviating / limiting the problem. Only movement will restore movement.

During this first session, discuss different types of oils and what parents can use. There’s a list at the back of the guide which tells you which oils are good for specific issues, so if a parent ask a specific ailment you can advise. When babies are relaxed, ask parents to undress babies just to expose the shoulders, pass around the grapeseed oil and ask parents to put a generous amount on the shoulders and rub it in. They need to let you know if they develop a rash within 24 hours so that an alternative oil can be provided.

Relaxation

Finish the session with relaxation as we do in yoga, but without the use of bubbles. During this first session, explain the benefits of Heart to Heart and ask mums to lie down and get babies comfortable on their chests. Play Bella’s Lullaby and sit quietly while mums enjoy a cuddle (and maybe sneak a picture or two!)

Benefits: Heart to heart regulates babies heart rate and breathing rate. It is also tummy time with all the benefits but babies feel safe being close to mum.

Encourage Mums to go home and show Dads the techniques used if they are not present at the class. Massage is a fantastic way for fathers to bond with their new babies as they can sometimes feel a bit ‘left out’ especially if the mother is breastfeeding. Remind the parents that Dads can suffer from post-natal depression too, so encouraging bonding time through massage is hugely beneficial.