Baby Massage Benefits and Baby Massage Cures

  
The Benefits Of Baby Massage
by: Nell Taliercio

There are actually many benefits to consider when contemplating the art of baby massage. This practice is becoming more commonplace than ever before.

One of the most important benefits of baby massage is the added and continuing bond it creates between you and your baby. Even if your baby is premature, you can still perform the type of massage known as ‘still or containment holding’.

This is very easily accomplished by placing one hand on your baby’s head and the other on his or her stomach. Baby will feel secure and loved without leaving the safety of the incubator.

As with adults, babies enjoy the relaxing sensations, they of course feel when being massaged. A massage before a nap or bedtime helps to ensure a longer lasting and even more restful sleep. For most parents, this is a welcome benefit of baby massage.

If you are a first time Mother (or Father) chances are you may be a bit nervous around your baby. You may feel as though you are not ‘handling’ him properly… that he might ‘break’.

Experienced parents, over time, will convince you that this is simply not the case. But until that fear is laid to rest, do you know that you, yourself, will benefit each time you massage your baby? You will begin to feel more at ease and come away with a greater sense of confidence, after each session.

Some of the other benefits of baby massage include: provides colic relief, promotes accelerated weight gain in premature infants, eases nasal congestion, builds trust between parent and child, stimulates nutrient flow to body cells and is even thought to aid in the reduction of post natal depression.

Yes, the art of massage is an ancient practice. Utilized today, by parents everywhere, baby massage offers many benefits and is a wonderful way to bond with your baby.
About The Author

To find many more articles on parenting babies and toddlers and kids and teens head over to http://www.freeparentingtipsonline.com where you will find all you need to know about being a parent! Be sure to subscribe to the Mom Audiozine while there!

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Baby massage: A Cure for Colic
by: Lucy Curran

Colic hurts. Any parent who has an affected child will know that there is almost no pain like it – the physical and vocal response to the problem can be highly tiring and its very difficult to stand by and cope as a parent. It’s often tough to ask – what the hell is going on inside my baby?! When the problem arises, as it’s so common and many health visitors expect parents to be aware of the nature of the affliction and how to deal with it.

The fact is: NOBODY knows what colic is, it was thought for a time to be a intestinal problem, and related to trapped wind, but the only thing that even the medical profession know about the cause of such pain is that is causes up to three hours of crying a day, for more than three or four days a week. Your baby isn’t alone either: 20% of children, males and females, suffer colic as infants; usually when they are but a few months old. Apart from the application of gripewater: a, shall we say, interestingly flavoured product; there was for many, many years no cure for this elusive problem…. Until now…

Many parents instinctively rub their children when they are in pain. We all know that, just as we need to massage our limbs when we get cramp, they need physical stimulation so that blood flow and wind movements can be righted. Baby massage allows for intense and structured contact with colic afflicted babies – and has been accredited to the dissolution problem completely.

Flowing from the head to the toes, this specialist form of massage sees babies have full, much needed skin to skin contact with their caregiver; a soothing prospect for those suffering pain. A particularly encouraged technique for parents of colicky babies is the stomach massage, which sees the masseuse rub the babies belly in a gentle, circular motion beneath the rib cage, an action that encourages the correct movement of digested food through the body.

Classes teaching baby massage techniques are available worldwide, as many families have now begun to reap the benefits of the special, quiet times massage allows them to spend with their children. The BBC recently ran an article on the enriching quality of the exercise for mothers who have suffered from post-natal depression and their babies, noting that the bonding process can be strengthened by the intimacy of massage. It has also been suggested that the strong bond developed naturally by the exercise can prevent behavioural disorders later in life, and that the muscle stimulation involved can see children sitting, and even walking much sooner.

Available at the majority of Sure Start centres in the UK, baby massage provides at last a positive solution for parents suffering the effects of a colicky child. Righting sleep patterns and ending infant anxiety, it is perfectly simple, and the perfect solution to a huge number of childhood ailments.

To find out about baby massage courses or classes in your area simply visit www.busylittleones.co.uk
About The Author

Lucy is an avid sailor and writer and has been involved in child care for many years.

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Fitness Related Benefits of Massage
by: Jon Gestl

Ask someone their reason for getting a massage and you're likely to hear "because it feels good". We all know that a massage can relieve stress, help to make sore muscles feel better and even reduce anxiety, but can it help us achieve our fitness goals? Research shows that the massage you get to relieve stress can also have a positive effect on your muscle-building capabilities and fitness level.

1. Massage improves circulation and general nutrition of muscles. This appears to be the most valuable fitness-related benefit. Massage is accompanied or followed by an increase interchange of substances between the blood the tissue cells, which increases tissue metabolism. After a muscle is exercised, vital nutrients must be supplied in order for it to increase in size. Massage maximizes the supply of nutrients and oxygen though increased blood flow, which helps the body rebuild itself.
2. Massage improves the range of motion and muscle flexibility. This results in increased power and performance, which helps you work efficiently and with proper intensity to facilitate the body's muscle-building response.
3. Massage helps to shorten recovery time between workouts. Waste products such as lactic and carbonic acid build up in muscles after exercise. Increased circulation to these muscles help to eliminate toxic debris and shorten recovery time.
4. Massage can help prevent over-training. Massage has a relaxing effect on the muscles, as well as a sedative effect on the nervous system. This can prevent over-training syndrome which has limiting effect on muscle building.
5. Massage may aid in fat loss. According to some research, massage may burst the fat capsule in subcutaneous tissue so that the fat exudes and becomes absorbed. In this way, combined with proper nutrition, massage may help in weight loss.
6. Massage helps prevent and even heal injuries. By stretching connective tissue, massage improves circulation to help prevent or break down adhesions. Massage also influences the excretion of certain fluids (nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur) necessary for tissue repair.

While a massage won't build muscle directly, it helps to facilitate the body's rebuilding phase following a workout and influences muscular growth. Getting a massage is just as important as regular workouts and supportive nutrition for a comprehensive fitness program. Great news for those of us who thought building a great body was all hard work!

Before making an appointment with the first massage therapist you encounter, however, be sure they are a qualified bodywork practitioner. Ask for referrals, professional training information, and certification credentials from a reputable agency, such as the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).

About The Author

Jon Gestl, CSCS, is a Chicago personal trainer and fitness instructor who specializes in helping people get in shape in the privacy and convenience of their home or office. He is a United States National Aerobic Champion silver and bronze medalist and world-ranked sportaerobic competitor and editor of the fitness ezine "Inspired Informed and Inshape." He can be contacted through his website at http://www.jongestl.com.

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