The Importance of Nurturing Touch
Human beings love to feel loved. Having physical contact with another Human
Being is as important to our wellbeing as the food we eat. To be touched is to feel loved, and this brings
with it security and nourishment for the body and soul.
Nurturing touch to a baby, is even more of a necessity towards
feeling loved and secure, and acts as acknowledgement of their need to be held
and comforted. This in turn helps their
brain and organs to develop in a healthy way, balancing out stress hormones and
invoking a sense of calm.
I have the amazing honour of sharing the benefits of
nurturing touch through Baby Massage courses with parents and carers in Surrey,
and I have seen over 400 families strengthen their bond through massage.
Baby Massage is often the first class that parents attend
with their babies. It encourages new parents to leave their house when they are
ready, to meet other like-minded carers in a safe environment where they can share
similar experiences as they embark upon parenthood together.
The massage routine incorporates Indian and Swedish
techniques, reflexology and elements of baby yoga, all coming together to aid
the healthy development of your baby as they grow. The massage invokes a sense of calm so that
your baby is encouraged to have a deeper more relaxed sleep; it assists with
symptoms of gas/colic and reflux and aids digestion; helps to flush toxins out
of the body; stimulates healthy blood flow and the development of muscles;
helps to reduce umbilical hernia; aids the release of oxytocin in parents and their
baby (otherwise known as the love hormone) and most importantly allows you and
your baby to spend quality time getting to know one another, strengthening the
bond between you.
Massaging your baby helps you to familiarise with every coo
and gurgle, every freckle and frown, every wriggle and facial expression that
your baby performs, giving you confidence in your approach to their needs and with
how you hold and comfort your baby. You
feel empowered with skills that help your baby when they experience tummy
discomfort and that answers their emotional needs. Quite a feat of achievement given initially we
have no idea what their cries mean or just what it is they want from us at any
given moment.
As a new parent we are all doing our absolute best, and that
is all that really matters. Whether
we’re overjoyed with our new arrival, or overwhelmed with our new life and all
it brings, we all need the same thing – and that is to be reassured that we are
doing a great job and to have the support of those around us.
Joining a class with your baby can be one way to finding a
support network, so if you haven’t already found an individual or group of
people with whom you can share parenthood, then I would highly recommend
joining a baby class. After all……. we
are all in it together - for the long haul!
Sarah Millist is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor with
the IAIM – The only worldwide organisations solely dedicated to Baby
Massage. She is also a Toddle Talk Baby
Sign Language teacher and teacher of Monkey Music.
To find out more about Baby Massage with Sarah, visit her
Tiny Touch Surrey facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tinytouchsurrey
or email her at: tinytouchsurrey@gmail.com
