|
COPING
with baby’s ever changing sleep patterns entails a lot
of adjustment on any parent’s part. Throughout baby’s
first four months, we’ve practically plotted out all
strategies—taking turns, sleeping with baby, making him
listen to soothing music, etc.—so we could get our fair
share of sleep as well.
To
relax, especially after a late night at work and baby’s
early-morning feedings, getting massages has helped
reenergize us. It has also revived our tired muscles and
aching backs, especially from all that carrying and
playing with baby.
But
we’ve also discovered that massages are not just for us
adults. Giving our own baby his morning and evening
massages has also kept him calm and made him less
inclined to throw baby fits. Besides keeping baby
relaxed with the touch of his parents’ hands, books such
as What to Expect the First Year (Workman
Publishing) point out that it can also help strengthen
his immune system, improve muscle development, stimulate
growth, even ease colic. While morning massages help a
baby ease gently into his daytime activities (listening
to music and a few exercises such as picking up
objects), evening massages are part of his bedtime
rituals.
In one
of the weekend gatherings of Momimor (Moms, Milk and
More), a nonprofit group headed by Chiqui Brosas-Hahn
composed of breast-feeding couples and advocates, a
lecture and demo on infant massage was conducted by
Edwina Dominguez-Garchitorena.
Edwina
is a certified Sivananda yoga instructor of Yoga Manila.
She specializes in prenatal and beginners yoga. Edwina,
who is due to give birth this month, practiced prenatal
yoga during her first and, now, second pregnancy. She’s
developing a postnatal yoga program to support
breast-feeding and recovery after childbirth (to contact
her: edwina.dominguez@gmail.com, 0917-5252544).
Edwina
shares, “After attending classes in prenatal yoga,
preparing for childbirth and after the baby is born, a
mom will tend to ask, ‘What happens now that I’ve given
birth?’ Baby massage is the first step in helping you
bond with your baby and to help you become aware of his
body.”
 Using
a baby doll, Edwina showed us how to do it. The other
moms, meanwhile, brought their babies for hands-on
application. First, Edwina says, is to put baby on a
mat, preferably on the floor so he can face you and you
can maintain eye contact with your child.
Interestingly, she taught the parents how to do yoga
breathing and centering first before actually starting
the massage. “Babies are sensitive. When you’re stressed
out or upset, it will affect your baby. So, learning how
to relax first is important.”
Edwina
slowly lifted the “baby’s” right leg, holding it firmly
but gently. She started stroking the baby’s thighs down
to the hamstrings and gently pressed the foot. A few
more strokes and she moved on to do the baby’s other
leg. Next, starting from the right shoulder, she gave
gentle strokes, moving her fingers diagonally down to
the left hip (like half of an “X”) for a few times, then
doing the stroke on the alternate side.
Then she
moved the baby to the right side, and massaged the
baby’s arm, fingers and back. Putting the baby back on
its back, she moved the baby on its left side and
followed the same procedure. The last step is to put the
baby on his tummy, gently massaging his back, hips and
legs.
Edwina
placed the baby doll on its back again. Holding the
doll’s right arm and left leg, she gave it a gentle
stretch, doing the same thing on the other side to
finish off the routine. For nighttime massages, and if
baby is still awake, she encourages parents to massage
their babies’ head gently while talking to them, until
they’re ready to close their eyes.
Younger
babies enjoy stretching while for older ones—those who
are six months and up—Edwina advises moms to incorporate
some yoga stretches. Yoga, she adds, is ideal for
calming babies and teaching them how to move and breathe
properly. At the same time, the practice is also helpful
for moms because it aids posture and breathing. The
meditation component, on the other hand, helps keep her
balance and focused—a necessary skill when it comes to
balancing time between the new baby, going back to work
and running the household.
Meanwhile, the Momimor meetings have helped would-be and
first-time parents cope with the challenges of nurturing
their baby through breast-feeding. Says Chiqui, “One of
the dilemmas couples go through after giving birth is
that they have no one to talk with. This is especially
true when it comes to breast-feeding. Even if it should
comes naturally, unfortunately, we’ve forgotten how to
do it. Common questions are, “What if I don’t have
breast milk?” “Am I giving him enough?” “Until when
should I breast-feed?” and so on.
“Our
goal is to empower mothers even when they’re still
pregnant. We invite experts who can teach them how to
breast-feed, how to do infant massage, just to name a
few. Our target are pregnant mothers who can also,
hopefully, help back. That’s how I actually started.
Even if needed to consult someone else when I first
breast-fed. Support goes a long way.”
Pregnant
and nursing couples who want to attend the group’s
monthly gatherings may contact Chiqui through
0920-9052737 or chiqui_hahn@yahoo.com.
Road
test
ANOTHER
happy discovery is Johnson’s Baby Bedtime line. We’ve
included the bath and lotion as part of our baby’s
bedtime bath routine and he’s been enjoying it. A handy
pamphlet comes with the products teaching us the
three-step bedtime routine.
Step 1
is giving baby a warm bath with Johnson’s Baby Bedtime
Bath. It’s also the perfect opportunity to separate
“busy time” from “time for bed.” Step 2 is giving baby a
soothing massage. After baby is clean and snugly, a
soothing massage will comfort him and help him switch to
“nighttime mode.” Step 3 is making way for some quiet
time. Set the mood with soft background music and dimmed
light. While holding baby close, you can either read him
a bedtime story or sing softly to him.
The
routine was tested for two weeks among seven to
eight-month-old babies in the US. Results showed that
the babies slept better. The babies who went through the
routine reduced the time they were awake at night by
almost 50 percent; there was also a 23-percent increase
in their longest period of sleep.
We’ve
been doing the Johnson’s Baby Bedtime routine for two
months now. Baby giggles and wiggles when it’s time to
take his bath, as if looking forward to the soothing
massage afterward. Thanks to his bath and bedtime
routine, he’s been sleeping well and doesn’t cry at
night—now, he just whimpers when he needs to be fed or
when he’s wet. Hubby and I are starting to sleep like
babies as well. |
