Video:How to Give a Preemie Infant Massage

Transcript:How to Give a Preemie Infant Massage

Hi, my name is Joanna Tomcheck and I'm a certified educator of infant massage. Here at The Bristol-Meyers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson university Hospital, here for About.com.

Why Preemie Infant Massages Are Beneficial

I'm here to chow you how to give your premature infant an infant massage. Not only does it helping bonding between the parent and the baby, there are also a lot of benefits for premature infants. Premature infants often have weight gain. They also help develop their muscle tone. It can help relieve colic and gas. And it helps get the babies used to a therapeutic touch experience.

The first time I would meet with a parent, the first thing I would talk to them about are the baby's cues. You want the parent to always be aware of when the baby is ready for a massage and when a parent may have to disengage.

Cues That Massage May Be Needed

Some examples of the cues are, the baby is hiccupping, if they're yawning or if they're crying that would be a time for the parent to disengage. For infant massage we're really looking for the baby to be in a quiet alert phase.

Giving a Preemie Infant Massage

Make sure that the parent takes a moment of relaxation. I will show them two different holds that you can do for a baby to help calm the babies.

Containment. So I would have the parent put their hand on the baby's head and put their hand on the baby's feet. Also, for premature babies they aren't always used to having a massage and being touched in a therapeutic way. So I willl show the parent how to do Stell touch. I would have the parents hold the baby, and they will take their warmed up hand and place it on the baby's leg. In a frim manner. This way, the premature baby will start getting used to having a massage and having therapeutic touch.

From there you have to ask the baby's permission for the massage. So, I'll have the parents put a little bit of oil or a little bit of lotion on their hands. And rub their hands together and they will show the baby their palm to ask the baby's permission.

We want the babies to get used to the massage. So, with a premature baby we might start with their legs, or their arms, or even their backs. So you want to make sure that if we start with their legs we'll start with very simple strokes, like the Indian Milking Massage. So, we might have them first go like this with their baby and have their baby get used to that simple massage. I might teach him certain ones for the foot, that are kkind of like that. Also, their little toes, we do their toes like that.

What I might show the parents on the doll are certain techniques that they can do at home. I could show them the I love you massage. So, what I would do is I would start with my hand like that. Make an I, L, and U. So, then do some of the massages with the hands. Just make little circles around their wrist. And, also, do rolloing with their arms. So, if you start by the corner by their armpit and just roll with their arm right up. So, just start with the top of your hand and out your thumb like that way – to help open up their hand. And do open book by their forehead. So, if you start in the middle and open up, help open up their forehead. Help open up their sinuses. Start by their nose, get the corner of their eye and back down like that. Jaw Circles? Start by the top of the jaw and just do little circles with your hands. You could have the baby rest on your legs and rub back and forth. So, put your hands back and forth across their back.

You could also a sweeping motion – so you can start by the top of their neck and go all the way down to their feet. You can just do little circles around their back. ________ both hands and make little circles on either side of the spinal cord, not touching their spine.

The most important thing to remember or keep in mind when you're giving your baby a massage is always to listen to your baby.

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