July 28, 2010

At just eight weeks old, little Paul got his first official baby massage. It seemed as though he liked the the massage, especially when mom rubbed his little feet and toes.

"His daddy will rub his head or his belly, and he eats it up. I thought maybe I'd learn how to do it properly [in this class]," said Jeanne-Marie Peterson.

So, Peterson made a appointment for herself and baby Paul at Sugar Snap Kids in Charlottesville. The seminar is taught be infant massage therapist Kate White, who says the class is important for both the parent and the baby.

"It's important to help babies orient to the outside through touch. Touch is very, very healing for humans; for babies especially," said White, who runs Belvedere Integrated Healing Arts.

In fact, infant massage has been used in other countries for centuries. In the United States, the procedure was initially done on premature babies, and research showed that the massages helped the "preemies" becomes healthier much faster. The first documented findings were published in 1976. They show an increase in a baby's blood circulation, digestion and immune system function as a result of the massage treatment.

"There's now an International Association of Infant Massage where you can go and get trained just to work with babies," said White.

White says babies actually say a lot without talking, and the baby massage helps parents bond and communicate with their new addition to the family.

"Babies communicate non-verbally through movement, through their skin tone, through how they're holding their body and through facial expression," said White.

All things Paul's mom is learning very quickly.