Benefits of Infant Massage

Marin Mommies presents a guest article by Marin certified pediatric massage therapist Tracy Vatcher on the benefits of infant massage.

As parents, most of us are familiar with the lack of sleep associated with caring for an infant. Jack’s family came to me for help because, at two months of age, Jack wasn’t sleeping well and took hours to fall asleep which provided only a short respite before awakening again, often for the rest of the night. Without proper sleep, he was having trouble gaining weight, was crying a lot of the time and his parents were exhausted. Nothing they tried worked.

Then they decided to try infant massage, learned the fundamentals, and started using them at home. His parents noticed that just a few minutes of massage around dinner time calmed him, reduced his crying, and at night helped him to fall asleep more easily. Infant massage is now part of their daily routine and they use it to calm Jack when he is stressed, to provide relief for him when he gets gassy or constipated, and to help him sleep.

Infant massage can provide a wonderful, focused time with baby. It promotes bonding and releases nurturing hormones and endorphins in both baby and the caregiver, aids in sensory awareness and weight gain, provides a safe and easy release from frustration, can relieve common gastrointestinal ailments, helps strengthen the immune system and helps baby fall asleep more easily and sleep deeper and longer.

Dr. Tiffany Field at the Touch Research Institute in Miami, Florida is a preeminent researcher on the effects of massage on infants. Dr. Field and other researchers have published studies about infants who receive regular massage. These studies demonstrate a remarkable healthy weight gain in many premature infants (resulting in early release from hospital and improved overall health), reduction in the stress hormone cortisol, an increase of the nurturing hormones oxytocin and prolactin (in the caregivers, too!) which help with bonding and nursing, and a strengthened immune system, to name a few.

Infant massage can be a special time between baby and caregiver and provides nurturing interaction as baby grows!

Tracy Vatcher is a Certified Infant Massage Teacher, a Certified Pediatric Massage Therapist, and a Certified Massage Therapist and she has dedicated the past 17 years to the health and well-being of infants, children, and their families. Tracy provides small, casual infant massage group classes and private one-on-one sessions throughout Marin County and she brings her experience, enthusiasm and warmth to every class.

Tracy would love to hear from you and can be reached at tracy@babyblissmassage.com or (415) 484-8144. For more information, please go to www.babyblissmassage.com.