By Carolyn Fulford
We have been running an infant massage group here at Oak Park Clinic since the summer and it is proving an enormous success.
Baby massage is a longstanding parenting tradition in many cultures around the world and has gained popularity here in the UK since the late 1990s. The course draws from both Indian and Swedish massage traditions as well as incorporating principles from yoga and reflexology.
Baby massage classes offer an opportunity to meet new mothers and a special time to communicate both verbally and non verbally with your baby so that they feel loved, valued and respected. I teach a sequence of rhythmic strokes and soothing holds which have been developed and refined over the years to help reduce crying and emotional distress, help provide relief from wind, colic, constipation and teething pain, help provide increased levels of relaxation to promote deeper and longer sleep and help for the parent or carer to understand and feel closer to their baby. Parents have also found that it has helped significantly with symptoms of post-natal depression and bonding issues.
Our classes here at Oak Park Clinic are small and relaxed and include time for informal parent discussions. Massage strokes are reviewed each week and handouts are given as a reminder. Parents who attend our classes learn so much more than a massage routine and leave with so much more confidence in handling their babies.
One of our recent participants has written the following review:
We absolutely loved the baby massage course at Oak Park Clinic. It was a truly valuable 5 week course, where not only did I get to spend a precious hour learning to massage my baby Charlie, it was incredibly relaxing and calming listening to Carolyn’s lovely voice and hearing her caring, kind and knowledgeable words about the ups and downs of life with a newborn! I would recommend this course to anyone with a young baby, I’ve found the massage tips super helpful not just for relaxation but also to help with digestive, teething and sleep issues. Thank you so much Carolyn
If you would like to find out when the next Baby Massage class starts here at Oak Park then please contact the clinic. 01252 850800 info@oakparkclinic.co.uk