What Are The Benefits Of The Baby Massage?

It was just the other day that a young mother was telling me the various benefits that her baby and her has experienced from a daily massage; the pediatrician had also told her some of the benefits. I felt truly there were powerful therapeutic benefits by the human touch.

It is true that the skin is the first organ to develop in a baby and has been sensitive to the human touch even in the mother’s womb. Massages even in young babies help reap a lot of long-term physiological and emotional benefits; it helps boost a baby’s immune and respiratory system. It also helps to stimulate the circulatory system and balance the baby’s nervous system.

Talking of the other benefits of massaging we could say that massages help babies to grow; on massaging a signal is sent to the pituitary gland in the baby’s brain to release HGH, the human growth hormone. This is the reason why parents of pre-mature babies are encouraged to be stroked and touched more often.

Did you know that massaging the baby regularly lead to the release of hormone oxytocin in the baby, which regulates the stress levels, helps the baby to relax and sleep better? It is also worth knowing that daily massages strengthen the digestive system thereby relieving common newborn ailments and discomfort such as wind or constipation.

Mothers equally benefit from massages as babies; it helps develop that close one-to-one skin-to-skin contact that helps in better bonding between the mother and baby and also is implemental in reducing stress. It is still more significant to find that mothers that regularly massage their babies are themselves calm and relaxed and handle the parental responsibilities better. Did you know mothers that massaged their babies regularly suffered less from post-partum blues and it helped them overcome postnatal depression?

Another important aspect of a baby massage is that it helps in breastfeeding and lactation; it is instrumental in producing happy hormones that stimulates the prolactin hormone in the mother to aid lactation.

This makes a strong case for a regular massage even when the baby grows up though it may be difficult once the baby starts moving. However I see no excuse for not integrating a lovely massage after their evening splash-splash.

Massages are great especially when you practice it on your baby on a daily basis; start off a massage in a warm dim lit room with some natural oil that is free of chemicals. Start off with one leg supporting the ankle with one hand and using the other palm to stroke the outside of the leg from the ankle to the top of the thigh, gliding down the back of the leg. Changing your hands repeat the inside of the leg, before changing the legs.

Next move to the chest area starting from the center of the chest with both hands and make a lovely heart shape. Then sweep down to the baby’s abdomen. Repeat several times using your hand to make gentle circular movement in a clockwise direction around the belly button. End the massage with the toes.

Experience it and you would agree that both you and the baby would enjoy the massage and feel relaxed.

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