Babying Baby

Babies who need to relax after a long, hard day of eating, sleeping and crying can now unwind the same way adults do: by enjoying a soothing massage.

Adults have long appreciated the therapeutic benefits of massage, which has been credited with everything from easing back pain to alleviating depression.

Now some infant-care specialists are saying that massage is good for baby too.

“A lot of people ask, ‘Why do babies need massage? They don’t go to work, they don’t have to worry about paying bills, they’re not stressed out,’ ” says Cindy Charleton, a registered nurse and certified infant-massage instructor from Huntington Beach. “But infants need tactile stimulation, and this encourages parents to touch their baby.”

For three Thursday mornings a month, Charleton shows parents how to massage newborns to 4-month-olds at the South Orange County Family Resource Center in Mission Viejo.

With their babies propped on pillows, the parents try, with varying degrees of success, to copy the massage techniques that Charleton demonstrates on a doll.

The parents stroke their babies’ faces, lightly knead and press tummies and gently cross and uncross tiny legs and arms. They work from head to tiny toes, massaging with a light touch.

“Once you see these little guys get a massage, you know that babies enjoy it,” Charleton says.

During a recent session, Rancho Santa Margarita resident Kristen Davis places her then 6-week-old son, Trevor, on his back and gingerly attempts to massage along the sides of his spine as Charleton instructs.

“I can’t even find his spine!” Davis jokes.

The babies respond to their parents’ efforts by smiling, stretching, sleeping or crying their heads off. Trevor thoroughly enjoys the session. His tiny eyelids droop while Davis, now his personal masseuse, softly taps her fingers on his tummy. Then he spits up.

“At home he really relaxes. He kicks his legs out, stretches and closes his eyes,” Davis says. In addition to helping Trevor relax, massage has helped him put on pounds, she says.

“He was a preemie and he’s put on tremendous weight. He’s added 4 pounds in six weeks.”

Babies sometimes spend the entire class squalling. Charleton discourages parents from even attempting a massage during such hissy fits. She hopes that, with their babies’ cooperation, parents will pick up enough touch techniques to be able to massage their babies with confidence at home.

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Karen Rinehart of Trabuco Canyon has been massaging her 3-month-old daughter, Paige, after her baths.

“It’s real enjoyable for me to interact with her, and she seems to like it--when she’s in the mood,” Rinehart says.

The class gave Rinehart confidence when handling tiny Paige, who weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces when she was born.

“In the beginning I was afraid I’d hurt her, but I’ve learned that babies are tougher than we think,” she says.

That touch is vital to baby’s health was demonstrated in the 13th century. German emperor Frederick II conducted an experiment to find out what language children would speak if they were raised without hearing any words at all. He took newbornss from their parents and turned them over to nurses who were forbidden to touch, comfort or coo to their charges. The babies died before uttering a word. Without touch, they could not survive.

In modern times, more humane studies have identified many benefits of infant massage. Recent research has shown that premature babies who were massaged daily gained 47% more weight than those who were not, according to the University of Miami Touch Research Institute. Touch therapy also helps improve infants’ circulation and digestive systems, and helps them sleep better, Charleton says.

Jeannie Garcia of San Juan Capistrano, a graduate of Charleton’s class, has found infant massage helped her 3-month-old, Sollie, with his digestion.

“He’s a little colicky and the belly massage has helped a lot,” she says.

At Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Orange, touch is considered so crucial to babies’ well-being that, inside the neonatal intensive-care unit, specially appointed “cuddlers” are in charge of holding, rocking and caressing newborns.

“Touch is very important for babies. It helps control their temperature and their heart rate calms down. They gain weight quicker,” says Liz Drake, neonatal nurse practitioner at CHOC. “The babies settle down--you can see their tiny hands relax. It’s kind of miraculous.”

Infant massage benefits the parents as well as the babies.

“It helps parents get to know their baby and bond with the child,” Charleton says. “It’s relaxing for both parent and child.”

Parents also support each other during class. They compare notes on their babies’ weights, bellybuttons, sleep patterns and color and abundance of hair. When a preemie puts on weight, they’re ready with compliments.

Charleton, whose classes are based on the International Assn. of Infant Massage, tells parents they can massage their baby once or twice a day as long as the baby’s willing.

She teaches them to watch for grimaces and other signs that their baby’s not in the mood for a massage. Parents can continue to offer massages to children as they grow, even if it’s just a back rub after softball practice.

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* Charleton’s infant massage class begins on the first Thursday of each month and lasts three weeks. The series costs $15. She also will teach infant massage at the South Coast Midwifery & Women’s Health Center in Lake Forest starting Friday. For details, call (714) 963-4958.

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Infant Massage Tips

Do not begin while baby is crying, hungry or has a full stomach. In the beginning, massage time may last only five minutes. Warm you hands by rubbing them together. Touch should be gentle, slow and rhythmic. Always be alert to signs of discomfort or distress.

* Head: Stroke in a smooth, circular motion to let baby know it’s massage time.

* Legs: Using both hands, gently stroking down the leg starting at the hip. Repeat on other leg.

* Arms: Stroke from shoulder to wrist.

* Stomach: Make a circle moving only in a clockwise direction.

* Back: Turn your baby over. Start near the neck, making small circles down the length of the back. Avoid massaging directly over the spine.

* Check response: Throughout, watch for signs that your baby is enjoying or not enjoying the routine. Always stop if not.

Source: Cindy Charleton