Ice Breaker – Best thing about being a parent? (Use this one carefully. Read the room!)

Explain the benefits of massaging the tummy and ask the parents if any of the babies suffer from digestive issues (you may be aware of some of these beforehand from the booking information). Tell the parents the babies may release wind, urinate or defecate during this session and it is normal. Have the small cloth or a nappy at hand tell them to try not to react too much if they do so they don’t get startled.

Throughout this session, if babies are upset tell the parent not to continue to massage the belly. Instead, use the Tiger in the Tree learnt in week 1. Repeat the Tiger in the Tree at the beginning of the session with everyone.

• Tummy time for mums
• Tailor pose and swing / Tiger in Tree swing

1. Start with ‘I love you’ (see baby yoga manual)
2. Thumbs either side of navel, pressing out to the side.
3. Walk fingers across belly to break up air
4. Massage the tummy in a circular motion from your left to your right. This is using the weight of relaxed hands, so not pressing down but not stroking either. Repeat 5 times.
5. Kneed the tummy in a clockwise direction (this is the direction of the bowel) Repeat 5 times.
6. Placing a cupped hand horizontally across the belly, keeping the hand cupped knead from side to side between the bottom ribs and hips. Remind the parents not to push down. Continue for approximately 20 seconds.
7. Going hand over hand start between the bottom ribs and the hips on baby’s left and massage downwards and across to just below the navel.
8. Use Sun and Moon (see baby yoga manual)
9. Going back to a cupped hand across the belly, ‘scoop’ downwards from below the ribs to the bottom of their belly, using both hands alternately and keeping one hand in contact. Demonstrate with one hand, lifting the knees up.
10. Babies sitting supported in butterfly, rub across the belly with heel of the hand and fingertips
11. Repeat above with baby-sitting forward on mams knees.
12. Fill their tummy with love – draw a heart using two fingers on each hand going out and across the top of their belly, down to just below navel.
13. Tiger in the tree pose with massage underneath.

Benefits: The tummy is the emotional centre. Helping babies to relax their tummies will help them to relax completely. It therefore relieves stress, anxiety and birth trauma. It also aids digestion so can be extremely beneficial for babies who suffer from constipation, colic and trapped wind. It also allows the diaphragm to relax to the bottom, allowing more oxygen into the lungs.

Cautions:

Remind mum does not press downwards use only the relaxed weight of your hand side to side, between the ribs and the baby’s hips. Also when using oil, massage clockwise in the same direction as baby’s digestive system. Baby’s tummy is an emotional centre will contract with emotional and physical pain and relax with emotional and physical pleasure.

Songs to include: Round and Round the Garden, Row Row Row using movement of hands on the belly for the movement of the boat.

• Finish with relaxation