Welcome! I'm so excited to have you here with the goal of teaching you the beautiful lifelong skill of infant massage. I say lifelong because even as your baby grows you will still be able to take and use this information.

If you are on this page you are part of my beta testing group. I am so excited to be developing this online course for parents of new babies and I am even more excited to have your input and feedback! What better way to develop a course for parents to massage their infants than to get input from new parents themselves.

I am the mother of an almost 3 year old and even though I am a massage therapist I have to admit I didn't do any specific massage on him when he was a baby. We did plenty of skin to skin and I was always stroking him but nothing more than that. I honestly just wasn't aware there was more I could be doing, especially for things like gas and reflux.

I also felt overwhelmed, right? I was so exhausted and I definitely struggled with anxiety and some postpartum rage. I wondered if parents of new babies would see the benefits of adding "one more thing" to their never ending to-do list.

Let me tell you why it is a beautiful addition to an already chaotic and exhausting schedule:

1. Interaction: Likely as a new parent you will spend countless hours staring and cuddling your new baby. If you're already doing this, why not add another layer of benefits by doing massage during some of these moments? By spending this uninterrupted time massaging your baby you will develop mutual trust, empathy, love and respect. You will help form a secure bond with your baby.
2. Stimulation: On the scientific side, massage helps promote myelin formation which is essential ...., muscular formation and better weight gain. All of the body's systems are stimulated including the circulatory, respiratory, and nervous. They will also gain greater proprioception which is awareness of their body in space. Their sense of balance and coordination will be stimulated earlier as well.
3. Relief: Most if not all babies deal with constipation or gas at some point. Not all babies have true colic but any discomfort we see in our infants is heartbreaking. Regular tummy massage will help relieve some of these common digestive issues as well as teething discomfort and muscular tension.
4. Relaxation: Regular infant massage will very likely (although not always guaranteed) help improve sleep; not just for the baby but for the whole family. Reduced stress hormones and increased calming hormones will contribute to the well-being of the whole family.

There are countless other benefits to massaging your baby every day which we will discuss more in this course. It doesn't need to be overwhelming. Once you have learned the strokes you will begin to look forward to it! You will develop your own rhythm and you will find the times of day and settings that work for you and your little one. You will find yourself enjoying this special bonding time more and more.

You have joined my beta testing group. There are 5 sections in this course and each section will have several lectures and videos. They are:

1. Benefits of Massaging Your Infant: We will discuss some of the many benefits that regular massage can have on the baby as well as the whole family, some of the fears and limitations parents may have or feel they have and how to feel empowered,
2. Setting the Tone: Where to do the massage, what type of oils to use, and how to incorporate it into your every day routine.
3. The strokes and gentle movements: Learn how to massage the legs, the belly, chest, arms, face and back. Finish with some lovely gentle stretches and movements.
4. Colic Relief: While specifically geared toward colic this routine will help any baby who is struggling with digestive discomforts.
5. A Final Word: Becoming a parent is to be reborn as a human, mothers and fathers alike. This is just one more tool that will help you gain your confidence as you navigate this new transition. This lesson will have some resources for parents no matter where you're located and some nice reflective work.

As the beta testing group please know that your feedback is invaluable to me and future students of this course. I hope to have 1-2 lectures released every week. After 1 week of it being available I will send out a feedback email where you will be able to say what you liked, what you didn't like, what you wish was different, what you found challenging etc. I am toying with the idea of doing a virtual review class upon completion so that is something I will keep you updated on.

You are always welcome to email me with questions and again, thank you so much.