Baby Massage by Sophie Brigstocke

Green Baby are advocates of Baby Massage Therapy and recommend it to parents as there are so many fantastic benefits. We have asked one of the UK's leading Baby Massage experts, Sophie Brigstocke, to put together an introduction to baby massage for Green Baby on these benefits and her experiences of massaging her own babies.  Her expertise and wide knowledge on this topic made her a natural choice!

About Sophie

Sophie Brigstocke is a Doula and Massage Therapist with a interest in pregnancy, labour and early parenthood. Teaching since 2004 after training with the world-renowned Peter Walker. 

She also attended a course led by an IAIM  teacher (International Association for Infant Massage) with her own baby Alfie. This benefited her immensely as she now utilises material from both schools.

Sophie lives in Wandsworth with her husband, Marcus Brigstocke, and two young children, Alfie and Emily.

Baby Massage Therapy

In the first few weeks as a new Mum you can feel lost and all-at-sea – having to learn something that cannot be taught – how to be a parent. The new baby is totally dependent on you for all their needs and it can be quite overwhelming as well as exhausting. Don’t get me wrong – it is, and can be utterly joyous and exciting too, but there are moments when you feel out of your depth.

With a colicky baby, and recovering from a less than straightforward birth, I decided to try Baby Massage as a way of settling my precious newborn, and also as a way of cementing friendships with a group of new Mums. Little did I realize what a profound impact it would have! Not only did I learn some really useful skills which made a drastic difference to my ability to calm and soothe my baby, but I felt more connected to my baby – able to enjoy his smiles and laughter.

In a very short space of time he was far more relaxed and content, and the discomfort that had become an every evening nightmare disappeared. I felt confident and calm as a mother and loved my time with him. This turnaround influenced a whole new career for me – working with mothers and babies first as a Baby Massage teacher, and then also as a Doula. I wanted to impart the knowledge given to me by inspirational teachers and enable a smooth transition into parenthood for hundreds of other mothers and fathers.

Peter Walker was one of those teachers – over the last 20 years or so he has developed a school of Developmental Baby Massage whose techniques encourage and consolidate the baby through the natural steps and stages of their development.

The techniques are practical – there is an emphasis on improving and regulating digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems, and on improving flexibility, stamina and strength. But they also work at a deeper level – promoting relaxation in both the baby and the parent, enabling the parent to recognize their baby’s cues and enhancing bonding.

Beyond the lovely cuddly stuff, studies have shown that Baby Massage is very beneficial for mothers suffering from Post Natal Depression, for teenage Mums who are struggling to interact with their babies, for premature infants, children with asthma, diabetes, and certain skin disorders. At the Touch Institute in the USA many studies have been carried out on the benefits of massage. In premature babies, those who received massage three times daily, as opposed to just being held, left hospital on average six days earlier with greater weight gain, better social interaction and better sleep patterns. It is powerful stuff!

Recommended products for massaging your baby

Now you know more about Baby Massage and how wonderful it is for creating a special bond with your baby or toddler. Whilst also being a relaxing experience for both parent and little one. The perfect way to end a long day!

At Green Baby our passion and expertise is to create lovely, organic skincare products which are kind to baby's skin and do not contain any nasty chemicals. Only the finest organic, botanical ingredients are used, as they are best for baby's delicate skin. The organic baby oil in this range is suitable for massaging your little one as often as you (and they!) like.

Organic Baby Oil

This Soil Association Certified massage oil is rich in the combined essential oils of organic camomile and sunflower. The blend of ingredients is great for nourishing and moisturising baby's delicate skin leaving it super soft. 

With a cheering aroma, the oil has relaxing and calming qualities. Perfect to use when giving your baby a soothing massage.

To shop across the range of organic skincare products, click here.

For more information about baby massage contact Sophie Brigstocke. 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sophiebrig 
Email info@sophiebrigstocke.com 
or visit www.sophiebrigstocke.com

For a list of teachers both in the UK and Internationally go to www.thebabieswebsite.com

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