Infant massage helps children overcome sleep problems, colic and bowel disorders . Let's find out better.
The technique of infant massage
When we talk about infant massage, obviously we are referring to massage towards children, a delicate, tactile method to establish deep contact with the unborn child. According to the opinion of pediatric experts, infant massage can be practiced safely until after the first week of life, while other doctors advise waiting for the child to have reached the first year of life and for the umbilical cord to be completely detached.
The French gynecologist and obstetrician, Frédérick Leboyer, considered the precursor of the sweet birth, maintains that massaging the child "prolongs the powerful, slow, rhythmic sensation of the contraction of childbirth, making it die slowly, avoiding the brutal fracture, origin of suffering".
In India, where it is frequently practiced, this type of massage is believed to help the child grow stronger. Women use mustard oil in the winter and coconut oil in the summer to massage their young. The massage is usually practiced in the morning and in the evening, the mothers sit on the ground, place a towel on their legs on which they place the child.
A Western scientific approach explains the Indian belief in different terms, but in the end, identical, in terms of profound meaning: massage would stimulate the production of hormones that relax the body (endorphins, oxytocin, prolactin) and regulate the levels of ACTH, the stress hormone. After an infant massage session, the child will be more likely to indulge in sleep.
The seat
In infant massage the child is made to lie down on a quilt or bed . The environment must be heated, because the child must remain naked, but absolutely cannot feel cold, and the lights must possibly be suffused.
The massage starts from the front, because the child's face must be observed, it is the only way to adjust with respect to the pressure exerted and the effectiveness of the massage.
The hands must be warm before starting and the first light touches . The most delicate parts are treated very carefully: back and abdomen. Usually the massage is not too long and is repeated daily when the child is calm.
All kinds of massages and their benefits
Benefits and contraindications of infant massage
The non-verbal language that is put in place with a session of infant massage has implications from the human point of view unimaginable. Infant massage releases psycho-emotional well-being in the adult who practices it and in the child who receives it.
In the child vital functions are stimulated, relaxation is induced, regular functioning of the intestine is facilitated. Infant massage can help sleep disorders and mitigate the discomfort due to colic of the newborn. In order not to run into problems for the child, it is necessary to follow the recommendations just suggested and try to always maintain contact with the child who is receiving it, without varying the pressures in an abrupt or excessively strong way.
Curiosity
In Italy there is a body dedicated to infant massage, the AIMI (Italian Association of Infant Massage), an association created to encourage contact and human relationships during the period of the child's growth.
