The Sleepy Mama's Guide to Sleeping...

How infant massage came to my rescue

by Brenda Nicholas

One day my neighbor, Vishakha, sat in my living room, calmly observing me fudge my way through the new parenting guessing game of Why Is The Baby Crying Now?, I explained that poor baby Chloe was probably tired from eating every hour and a half all night long. Vishakha said that where she is from in India, babies are given massages twice a day — in the morning and in the evening. The massage helps them to relax, she said, and encourages them to sleep when the mother sleeps.

People in India often use Ayurvedic massage that dates back to 3000 BCE.

Ayurveda is a principle of “right living,” and the wisdom behind Ayurveda massage is that it aids digestion, relieves colic, helps regulate breathing, encourages growth and improves function of all of the internal organs, including the brain. In essence, massage takes the place of exercise for babies. It serves as a kind of yoga in theory, by increasing circulation to baby’s nerve endings and muscles. Armed with a towel and almond oil, I attempted my very first infant massage that evening. I felt clumsy. Vishakha had made it look so easy when she demonstrated the massage on her 2-year-old daughter. Her hands had moved quickly and efficiently rubbing her daughter’s limbs, back and head.

It took about three weeks of dedicated evening massages for Chloe to fall into a predictable napping pattern, and to skip her middle of the night feeding. The massage was starting to make a difference in our lives.

I talked with Dr. Pashu Kumar, a pediatrician in Schenectady about his experiences with infant massage and why this practice is not promoted more often in Western pediatric medical practice. Dr. Kumar has been practicing in the United States for approximately 20 years. Before he came to America, Dr. Kumar practiced in India for nine years.

He explained that the cost of obtaining medical treatment in India, coupled with a high rate of poverty, force many Indian women to turn toward holistic practices. The extended family structure there also lends itself to a more hands-on approach to child rearing. He explained that because multiple generations often live together under one roof, traditions and practices such as infant massage are common.

Mothers in India typically use almond, mustard or coconut oil for the massage, but common baby oil or lotion will do. In his own practice, Dr. Kumar suggests infant massage on an individual basis. “Massaging the abdomen by applying moist heat and rubbing gently helps soothe abdominal cramps in infants,” he told me. Often it is abdominal pain that contributes to the condition of colic, he explained. Colic is a common condition of bottle-fed babies, he said, and massage can help alleviate digestive issues. Other conditions Dr. Kumar recommends massage for are muscular cramps, lack of proper muscle tone and delayed walking problems. Overall, Dr. Kumar says he believes that infant massage fosters “total relaxation for babies, which causes them to sleep better.”

Mavis Gewant, a doula in Ulster County who specializes in postpartum care, said she practiced infant massage on both of her sons who are now 21 and 17. Mavis studied Ayurvedic infant massage with Harish Johari (known as “Ayurveda’s renaissance man”) for 20 years. She told me her younger son had stomach problems as a newborn and that stomach massage seemed to calm him. Of course, one potential problem with indulging your children with massage is they may never want you to stop. “Even to this day when my kids get sick, they always ask me to give them foot massages,” Mavis told me.

Not only does a nightly massage increase the chances of better sleep for the baby, it is a very relaxing, tender act for the parent. I look forward to our nightly massage and special bonding time, and I think Chloe does, too.

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