Pregnant women planning the arrival of their newborns can contemplate writing a birth plan, researching important decisions about breastfeeding, circumcision, vaccinations, and more. caring for your newborn and life beyond. Therefore, midwives, nurses, and other healthcare providers have a unique opportunity to administer and teach massage therapy while caring for babies and mothers during the postnatal period and when providing pediatric care. The ancient practice of massage therapy has been used around the world, although it has only recently begun to receive increasing attention in the West, as new studies have revealed its many health benefits, perhaps the most widely documented with regarding premature babies.

Infant massage stimulates the development of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). Tiffany Field, PHD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, says, “When you massage your baby, you are actually stimulating his central nervous system. That triggers a chain reaction: he does cause your brain to make more serotonin, a feel-good chemical, and less cortisol, a hormone that is secreted in response to stress.As a result, your baby’s heart rate and breathing slow down and he becomes more relaxed “. In premature babies, the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for managing responses to stress, is immature. Recently, the University of Louisville School of Nursing published a study in Early Human Development showing that massage therapy actually improves the responses of premature babies to stressors in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).

As if that wasn’t enough information to encourage healthcare providers to take massage therapy into their practice, there are many other reasons too! The digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory system, and immune system are improved as a result of massage therapy. Common symptoms of colic, such as prolonged crying and gas, can be reduced or alleviated with simple massage techniques. “Nurturing touch and rhythmic movement are among the most powerful forms of communication between babies and their parents, so they are great ways to bond,” says K. Mark Sossin, PhD, director of the research nursery at parents and children at Pace University in New York City. Also, premature babies who are at risk of developing infections and breathing difficulties receive an advantage from massage. Literally all babies can and should benefit from massage!

Beyond infancy, massage has the potential to be a critical therapeutic component in pediatric care for patients with conditions such as autism, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and cerebral palsy. Autistic characteristics, including aversion to touch, decrease with massage. And in response to therapeutic massage, pediatric cancer patients report less stress, anxiety, and depression associated with their illness and subsequent treatments or procedures. Cystic fibrosis patients who receive massage therapy notice less pain and better breathing. Children with cerebral palsy gain range of motion and experience less muscle tension after massage. Therefore, the importance of implementing massage therapy in pediatric medical practice and also in neonatal care is evident. Therefore, healthcare workers are in an optimal position to help support this crucial wellness movement.