Traditional Techniques for Baby Massage Bliss

I popped my head in the new pound shop in Leatherhead last Monday and got talking to a lovely Indian women who runs the shop with her husband. I'm always interested to speak with Indian women as I find their culture so interesting. Of course I asked her about baby massage and she talked about her two daughters, now grown, and how she massaged them when they were babies. She described how she would bath them in the mornings, then massage them with mustard oil (quite a smelling oil but very good for circulation and sore muscles) and then swaddle them naked and keep them in a snug room to sleep for 2-3 hours! I was amazed, sounds like a blessing as my son never seems to sleep for longer than 1.5 hours at a time during the day.
So of course, I gave it a go.
We've picked up the autumn cold that's been swirling around and we all have had the sniffles and a cough over the weekend so perfect opportunity to try out this new technique. I did just as they lady said but a modern version - Hot shower, massage in the steamed bathroom, nappy on but otherwise naked, swaddle, dummy in and straight to bed. Low and behold - he slept 2.5 hours, probably would have been for 3 hours if it wasn't for his older sister getting bored and waking him up ~ to my dismay. I was amazed, it worked! Old wise women know their stuff! I'm beginning to believe less of what I learned in training and more in what I learn from experience, advise and practice! Thank you pound shop lady!

Energy in Words

During a pleasant visit with a friends at the Cobham Arnica meeting this morning and we got talking about how energy in words can effect our physical body. She pulled out the most fascinating book I've seen in months . It's written by a Japanese man named Dr. Masaru Emoto. His first book is called, Hidden Messages in Water. Dr. Emoto shows frozen water crystals before and after prayers are read to the water, water when hateful words are shown to it and water when loving words are shown to it. (crystal from 'Thank You')
The most beautiful crystal formations, like little symmetrical snowflakes are visible when positive words, prayers, chanting and photos of temples or churches are shown to it. They simply put the vile of water on top of a word, pray around it or show it a picture, freeze the water and look under the microscope. Amazing to think that water can retain the energy from the words. To make sure it works the words were shown in different languages; results - similar shaped crystals, almost identicle even. When horrible words, like 'cloning', 'hate' and 'war' are shown to the water unusual and misshapen crystals are formed - really ugly looking crystals with no symmatry or regular pattern. (below - crystal formed from 'Adolf Hitler)
This makes me wonder; our bodies are made of 70% water - there must be a deeper meaning in our words; our words may effect us in ways we can only see under a microscope. Our words are absorbed into our bodies, the music we listen to, the people we surround ourselves with and the food and water we drink can all have a much more profound effect on us than we may seem. Even prayer, regardless of it's type make gorgeous crystals in water. I'm not particularly a spiritual person; I've always said it's something I can see myself getting into when I'm older, but now I know prayer can have a physical effect on water, it must have a physical effect on the body too. There is true meaning in 'holy water', it may truly be physically healing.

So, the next time I drink a glass of water, I'm going to speak to my water - really - as strange as it sounds, I'm going to sing, chant, maybe even pray.
I'm really going to 'eat (or drink rather) my words!'

Or, I might just buy some water words - little stickers with positive words.

Baby Massage – Learning Positive Touch for Life

Baby Massage was introduced to me by Chris Woollatt, a very experienced baby massage instructor teaching in Walton on Thames from her home. Three years ago when my daughter was just 10 weeks old I joined Chris's course of classes and haven't looked back since. Massaging Sianna brought me such joy and from her smiles and giggles I believe brought her much joy as well. Any new mum would agree that joining a baby class and trying to 'fit back into society' after having a baby is more difficult than people may imagine. Baby massage makes that awkward transition much easier and gives new mums the chance to experience quiet time out from the structure of the day. Baby massage is so gentle, loving, emotional, affectionate and moving. It's near every class I teach my eyes well-up with joy. I can't think of anything greater in this world than watching a mum give love through massage to her new baby - it's pure nurture at its best!

Chris is the most influential person I've met since the birth of my daughter 3 years ago. To say the least, Chris's classes were amazingly beautiful and entirely memorable. Who knew a class like baby massage could create so much love and affection within one hour. I made some great new friends, relaxed to soothing music and enjoyed a number of mummy poems to reflect in the moment. Chris taught us sweet little songs to sing to our babies like 'Mr. Sun' tummy massage song and showed us how to use yoga to strengthen their muscles. I do my best to make my classes as memorable as Chris makes hers.

Now 3 years old, Sianna is a giving, affectionate and very intelligent little girl. I truly believe her sympathetic nature is a gift she learned through my gift of love through massage. She helps me massage her baby brother who's just 3 months old and still enjoys a full body massage around twice a week and sometimes a hand or foot rub when needed to calm the nerves.

Baby massage classes opened a new door for me and encouraged me to think deeper about my influences as a parent. I learned that positive touch is like food for our babies. They need it, they cry for it, they crave it! I believe that regular massage can encourage high self-esteem levels in older children by developing a unique bond of trust between parent and child. Massaging your baby or child is telling them you love them without saying a word. It's one-to-one attention without distractions. And best of all, I'll never forget my babies little knee dimples or leg rolls, their tubby tummies and tiny little toes, nourishing their silky skin with grapeseed oil every night before bedtime for as long as I can. Ahhh bliss!

Spending just 5-10 minutes of my time twice a week to completely surrender and love my babies through massage is a special time for us and I recommend it to any mum.

Lynnea Shrief is a qualified Baby Massage Instructor and teaches classes in Surrey. See website fore more information. www.koalatherapies.com

Little Roman's home waterbirth story

BABY ROMAN'S BIRTH STORY - PLANNED HOME WATERBIRTH ON 21ST March 2009

On the 20th of March I woke up feeling great! My mum was here and we were ready for the baby at any time. We walked my daughter to nursery school and had 2hours 45min to go for a long walk and chat together. It was a great walk and we went all around the area, up hills, over barbed wire fences (I know, my mum is nuts and we got a little lost in the woods) and over cow pastures. Eventually I could see my house, about a mile over the valley, so we made our way home and I went straight to bed while my mum picked up Sianna. We had a great light lunch and decided to order a curry for dinner to try and get things moving along. By the time we went to collect the curry I noticed that the regular braxton hicks contractions I'd been having every 30 minutes for the last 3 weeks were now every 10 minutes and a bit stronger. I kept saying, hum, he's coming soon. My mum would then say, 'how soon?' and I would say, I DON'T KNOW! I had a float in the birthing pool (hired from GentleWater) to see if that would kick start things before bedtime, but no, the contractions stopped. So I went to bed.

I woke up 21st March at 6am! I never ever ever wake up before 8am unless I am rudely awakened, I'm not a morning person. But I was wide awake and lying in bed wondering what had woken me. Then I felt a huge contraction, but not painful, just so so so tight! I rolled over and told hubby (Saher) he wasn't going to work and this was it. He moaned and rolled over the other way, ignoring me....typical. I went into the lounge to wake up my mum, same reaction. So I went into the kitchen and poured myself a Chamomile tea and swayed around in my bathrobe singing songs to my belly while mum and Saher slept for the next hour. Contractions were every 7-10 minutes and getting stronger. Saher and mum finally woke up and said, so what, aren't you in labour? I was so relaxed and calm they didn't believe me. Then, for the next hour I was on the loo. Contractions were every 6 minutes but only lasting a minute or so and eventually I needed to get into the pool as they intensified. Our daughter Sianna (3 years old) woke up and was making the baby a big puzzle next to the pool, she was so calm and knew her brother was on his way. I was in and out of the pool for the next hour going to the loo after or during every contraction. Just before the MW arrived, around 9am I had one huge 3 minute contraction and tried to use my hypnobirthing breathing but started to feel the pain and began to doubt myself and wishing it would be over quickly.
When midwife walked in the door I started to cry and really had a good cry for the next 10 minutes. Not sure why but I just let it out. Contractions were now extremely painful and every 3 minutes lasting at least 2 minutes. Around 9.45 I was saying, 'why is it taking so long' and 'I want it to be over'. My mum and midwife were reassuring me and keeping me concentrating on my breathing. I couldn't even open my eyes and I remember my muscles in my arms and legs contracting and I couldn't open my hands as my fists were clenched out of my control. It was so weird. I started to feel baby needed to come out so I flipped over from all fours to floating on my back and after 2 contractions he was out. No pushing, just breathing. Roman was born at 10:01am weighing 7lbs 12oz, my biggest baby yet.
He looked just like his dad and was a little blue but pinked up quickly. Lots of soft short black hair. The second midwife started to rub him with a towel and wanted him to have a big cry and I had to push her away because I felt it was unnecessary and invasive. Water babies are naturally calm at birth and usually don't cry right away. The cord was really short so they cut it as soon as it stopped pulsing as I couldn't hold him properly. For the next hour I was on another planet. I decided to birth the placenta naturally as I am making placenta capsules for healing and the pain was so intense. Saher was massaging my back while I was on all fours crying for 1 hour and 10 minutes. My mum had the baby I guess. I think the placenta was worse to birth than baby was but I read later that this was probably my fault as I was lying still on the floor and walking around is necessary for a faster third stage. After it finally came out I felt human again and just laid on my back and called my sister and best friend. I could finally smile and feel happy and have a hot shower! Within a half hour I was clean, in bed and holding my babies, one much larger than the other and feeling like supermum!

So in total, labour was 4 hours, which isn't bad. I had a small tear, no stitches and felt very energetic after the birth. I had to be stopped from emptying and scrubbing the birthing pool.

Little Roman was so congested and snorted for the next 3 days. He is so cute and such a joy to finally have here in my arms!

Thanks for reading! xx Lynnea and Baby Roman