I have been doing pregnancy massage and postnatal massage in Berkley and Oakland as part of my holistic healing work for several years now. But recently, I decided to branch out from simply working with adults to expand my maternity care healing services. When, a little more than a year ago, I signed up for a baby massage course, I was surprised to find that massaging babies was way more than just squeezing their cute little baby fat rolls and rubbing baby oil on their tiny precious bodies.
As a therapeutic body worker, I have always been very aware of the impact that healing touch has on our nervous systems, connective tissue, muscles, mental states and how it satisfies a part of our deep human need to feel cared for and loved. But I was inspired in a new and profound way when I learned about the impact that loving touch has on babies and their fundamental development. Below are just a few examples and fabulous reasons to start massaging your little ones today.
Awakening Love
When mothers touch their infants in a soothing and comforting way, the love hormone oxytocin is released in both of them, thus awakening the biologic capacity to bond. It also lowers cortisol levels which increases immunity and supports the optimal physiological development of the baby.
Shaping the Brain
Babies’ nervous systems are developing and highly adaptive. Each tactile, sensory and relational experience provides the stimuli for specific neural pathways to develop and to create healthy or unhealthy ‘brain templates’. As a result of this, caring, loving and responsive touch is essential for the healthy organization of their nervous systems.
Affirming Secure Attachment
‘Secure attachment’ is the hip term in psychotherapy circles these days. It seems to be your stamped visa on the way to psychological health and an ability to have lasting healthy loving relationships. There are many definitions of this term. But it kind of just means that your mother really loved you and was attuned to your cues and needs when you were little. In this way, hugs, cuddles, smiles, loving baby massages (and all the nurturing ways in which the cuteness of a baby inspires most healthy people to react) are all translated in the baby’s brain into patterned neural activity which positively influences its development.
There is so much more to be said about the significance of mindful, loving touch and its importance, especially with infants. It is important at any age. But I am excited to have this new insight about how the types of touch we receive, especially at an early age, play such an essential role in the architecture of our brains and therefore our lives.
Whenever my birthday, Christmas, my own made up self-love day, or any other great excuse for a “give-me-a-gift moment” comes around, I know what I want: a massage!
