International School of Developmental Baby Massage Welcome to another edition of our newsletter October 2015

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1 International School of Developmental Baby Massage Welcome to another edition of our newsletter October 2015 NEW MOTHERS ARE FLOODED WITH ADVICE The moment a woman announces a pregnancy she becomes a recipient of unsolicited wisdom. This advice comes from strangers, family, neighbours, and passionate friends who are more than happy to click share on dozens and dozens of parenting articles. Sadly, both for the giver and the receiver, this advice is often unhelpful, conflicting, and discouraging. Once in a while in the midst of the information overload a voice will ring out above it all gently saying: follow your intuition." Managing Editor and Creative Director The Mother Magazine MATERNAL INTUITION INTUITION AND INSTINCT Is a signalling system embedded in the psyche resulting from a combination of experiences and energy sensitivity. Intuition lives in the subconscious and communicates with the conscious mind. Maternal intuition is a perception apart from reason or rational thought. Intuitive thought is a partnership between rational thought and intuition. I describe intuition as knowing something without knowing how you know. Dr. Victor Shamas, a psychologist at the University of Arizona Several years ago, Shamas conducted a study of over 100 pregnant women during their first trimester to find out how many could correctly identify the gender of their baby based on instinct. Of those studied, 70 percent predicted the gender of their unborn child correctly, which they described as knowing through a gut feeling or a dream. Shamas says this connection of mother to child might be more deeply rooted than what one might initially think. In psychology we have a term called intersubjectivity. This is when your awareness crosses over into someone else s awareness. Empathy is one example of this. When a woman is pregnant and the mother and child share one body, it must somehow facilitate some sort of intersubjective connection. I cannot say that universally being a mother increases your intuitiveness, but it s hard to deny the intuitive connection a mother has with their child. MATERNAL INSTINCT According to Elyse Rubenstein, a Philadelphia psychiatrist a counsellor for new mothers, maternal instinct refers to "an inborn tendency to want to protect and nurture one's offspring." Almost all mothers (human and animal alike) eventually come to feel this way

2 after they have a child. But what also counts as much as the feelings that you're supposed to have for your baby, is a combination of experience and education. The older your baby gets, and the more you get to know him or her, the more confident a parent you become. According to Rubenstein The natural bond (maternal instinct) that arises between some mothers and babies from the first moments of life are often facilitated or impaired by the actions that occur immediately after birth. Some mothers claim having their infants placed on their skin immediately after birth was the exact moment when this bond occurred. Other women, who don t experience that due to C-section or emergency delivery, claim this to happen later during breastfeeding, bottle feeding or skin-to-skin contact of some kind. There are even mothers who claim bonding wasn t immediate at all and took many weeks or even months to fully happen. The natural bond between mother and child is different for every pair. Some mothers have trouble accepting baby. This can cause bonding to take longer and, in some cases, that natural bond some mothers feel never happens. Other mothers feel a bond so strong it is overpowering. Instincts are hard coded into our makeup our being. Our survival is dependent on instinctual behaviour. Rather than a single, all-purpose maternal instinct women may be predisposed to a range of strategies and responses to circumstances. As a result, a mother s behavior depends not only on her situation when she becomes a mother, but also her life experience and that of her own mother. Cues about safety, social and material support all contribute toward turning the maternal drive up or down. The most important maternal behavior comes after the baby is born. Drives are not necessarily connected to pleasures. According to Elyse Unless you feel an overwhelming, unrelenting resentment toward your baby, you'll soon grow into your new role as a mother and do the best you can (which is what most new parents do). If you cannot then seek professional help sooner rather than later. Elyse Rubenstein, a Philadelphia psychiatrist and counsellor Bonding describes the relationship from the mother s perspective which takes place in the minutes / months following birth while attachment describes the relationship from the child s perspective which is facilitated and intensified during the first two years by a mothers ability to recognise and acknowledge her child s cues for engagement and disengagement. A STRESS FREE DISPOSITION on the part of the mother and the child does much to ensure that this relationship is able to start and progress smoothly. For the baby a soft cranial massage technique can relieve trauma from the baby s head and release the neck and shoulders in the days and weeks following birth. This area of the body is especially vulnerable as the baby s head and neck can be subject to strain and compression during the descent through the birth canal.

3 This is most apparent with babies delivered using forceps and ventouse and can also be found in babies delivered by caesarean section. Releasing the back of the neck and shoulders can release the phrenic nerve. This nerve source arises from the back of the neck between the third and fifth vertebrae and is the only nerve source to the diaphragm. Compression of this nerve can create respiratory disturbance which can figure in unexplained episodes of anxiety in young babies. Relax the belly and you relax the baby Peter Walker Combining these with a soft tummy technique like tiger in the tree and including the three simple manipulations that accompany this technique can help make even the most anxious unhappiest of babies relax to help both mother and baby regain their equilibrium. For the mother there are a number of ways to relieve stress. In much the same way as controlled breathing is used to ease the pain of labour and childbirth the same can be taught for use during the more stressful moments of parenting. Breath control has long been revered as a controller of human emotions and teaching mothers/partners to make a habit of a simple breathing technique to control their emotions can be a life changing experience of great benefit to both themselves and their families. A few minutes a day laying on the tummy will give a mother the same benefits as it gives her baby. It will help her to relax and regain an abdominal breathing rhythm and improve her disposition The benefits of regaining an abdominal breathing rhythm are immense. Anxiety is associated with upper chest breathing. Breathing with the upper chest the body obtains less oxygen for more effort and the cause of anxiety then becomes internal as the cells of the body do not receive enough oxygen. The restoration of abdominal breathing relieves the body of stress and puts us more in touch with our gut feelings. SMOKING BAN SAVES HUNDREDS OF BABIES LIVES The smoking ban has saved the lives of hundreds of babies and improved the health of thousands more, research suggests Number of stillbirths and newborn deaths falls in four years after legislation Number of stillbirths fells by 8% after the smoking ban was imposed Number of babies dying in first days and weeks of life also fell Clear drop in babies born at a dangerously low birth weight, which increases risk of diabetes and heart disease in later adult life

4 An analysis of birth and death records in England showed the number of stillbirths fell by 8 per cent after the ban on smoking in public places came into effect eight years ago. The number of babies that died in the first days and weeks of life fell by a similar amount. There was also a clear drop in the number of babies born at a dangerously low birth weight, something that puts them at risk of a host of problems from breathing difficulties after birth, to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease when they are older. Overall, an estimated 1,500 babies lives were saved and the long-term health of another 5,500 was improved in the four years after the ban on lighting up at work and inside pubs, clubs, restaurants came into effect. Smoking and second-hand smoke both carry dangers to the unborn child and previous research has credited the 2007 clampdown with cutting the number of premature births and saving children from suffering serious asthma attacks. Professor Aziz Sheikh, who presented the latest statistics, said: This study is further evidence of the potential power of smoke-free legislation to protect present and future generations from the devastating health consequences of smoking and second hand exposure to tobacco smoke. Study co-author, Dr Jasper Been, said: Currently only around 18 per cent of the world's population is protected by comprehensive smoke-free laws. HOSPITAL CRUZ VERDE SAO PAULO Is a charitable hospital in Brazil. This hospital cares for abandoned babies and children with cerebral palsy. I was working there earlier this year and plan to return in December to work and film. I hope to have the film finished and available by mid For Children s Centre Staff Family Health Professionals and Parent Practioners Two Day Teacher Training in Developmental Baby Massage with Peter Walker UK / International Recognised Teaching Certificate Fully accredited by FEDANT (Federation of Pre Natal Education). Peter Walker is a teacher s trainer, physical therapist, author and yoga teacher with over 40 years experience in the delivery of baby massage training as well as providing group and oneto-one sessions to parents with children with special needs. His background in physical therapy and yoga underpins the high quality of his training programme, with the techniques based on the stages of baby s physical and emotional development, supported by neuroscience research on baby s brain development. Peter is credited with the free teaching of baby massage in NHS centres throughout the UK. Course includes.

5 1. Baby Bonding - Birth to eight weeks (can also be taught postnatal) Introducing development of loving touch, secure holding, safe tummy time and promoting overall good reciprocity to facilitate mother-infant bonding. Remedial Touch techniques to relieve intra-uterine and difficult birth experience for the baby where identified as needed. Holding and stroking techniques prior to massage to relieve physiological flexion and abdominal tension. Techniques to release the phrenic nerve and diaphragm and improve respiration. 2. Developmental Baby Massage Eight weeks to Standing Massage Techniques and strokes are demonstrated to parents using a doll, with emphasis on session being baby-led. Quality time for parents to get to know their baby through play, loving touch, talking and singing to the baby and learning about baby s cues and communication. Endorsement on the benefits of safe tummy time. Baby observation to promote reciprocity and facilitate mother infant bonding for a foundation of secure attachment. Infant development, anatomy and physiology. Improving circulatory, respiratory rhythms, back strength, joint flexibility and overall muscle tone. Relief of common infant ailments. Consideration of babies with additional needs and developmental delay. Includes contra-indications, safety, correct baby massage oils and usage. 3. Infant Balance and Good Posture Primary preparation for sitting and standing (using gravity assisted techniques for stronger structural foundations) High quality resource: A copy of Peter Walker s international best selling book Developmental Baby Massage plus a full set of course notes and DVD for all students. In House Courses given throughout UK Autumn Courses in Devon / Wales / Kent / London and Midlands ; walker@thebabieswebsite.com Tel: Mobile: Post course support given for all teachers