Research says massage may help infants sleep more, cry.
Benefits of infant massage for mothers with postnatal depression Vivette Glover, Katsuno Onozawa and Alison Hodgkinson Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital Semin Neonatol 2002; 7: 495 500 Key words: massage, infant, postnatal depression Infant massage by the mother has been popular in many cultures, especially India, and is growing in popularity in the West. Mothers with postnatal depression.
Infant Massage is a way to nurture an infant physically and emotionally. Infants tend to sleep longer and sleep better after a massage. This is obviously a favorite to every parent. It strengthens the muscles and joints. Massage aids in circulation and digestion. It can help prevent colic and also helps soothe pain during their teething stage (Baby Massage: Benefits of Infant massages. Baby.
Infant massage by mothers has resulted in less irritability and fewer sleep problems in babies (Field, 2010). Enhanced Development Massage on healthy, preterm infants showed a positive influence on brain and visual development (Guzzetta et al., 2009).
Jane Barlow (DPhil, FFPH Hon) is Professor of Evidence Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford. Jane’s main research interest is the role of early parenting in the aetiology of mental health problems, and the evaluation of interventions aimed at improving parenting practices during pregnancy and the postnatal period.
Therapeutic massage is the manipulation of the soft tissue of whole body areas to bring about generalised improvements in health, such as relaxation or improved sleep, or specific physical benefits, such as relief of muscular aches and pains. Almost all cultures have developed systems of therapeutic massage. Massage techniques play an important part in traditional Chinese and Indian medical care.
Most research into the use of oils on a baby’s skin has not focussed on their use for baby massage but for skincare issues, such as dry skin or eczema. This is important to note because there may be a difference in the effect of using oils in baby massage once a week compared to every day for skincare reasons or for more frequent massage.
Baby and infant massage classes are popular throughout the world, and descriptive papers can be found through the literature. A recent paper found significant increases in weight gain in two groups of preterm infants receiving massage versus a control group of similar infants. Those groups receiving massage gained from 65 to 85 g more than the control group over a 10-day period of intervention.