Turnstone’s award-winning Therapy team is now offering Infant Massage classes that teach parents and caregivers how to properly calm and nurture their babies through touch.
Classes are offered on a rolling schedule. Contact Mary at [email protected] or call 260-483-2100 for current class dates and to reserve your spot.
What to expect: In class, you will receive guided instructions on how to massage your baby, a step-by-step instruction booklet with pictures, and a bottle of oil.
Instructor: Mary Hitzemann, Certified Infant Massage Instructor, CIMI® trained through the International Loving Touch® Foundation, Inc.
Is infant massage right for my baby and my family?
Classes are specifically designed for parents, grandparents, and primary caregivers. The class is appropriate for parents with babies one month to one year old. Mothers-to-be who would like to learn infant massage prior to the baby’s birth are also welcome to attend.
To determine if Infant Massage Therapy might be a good fit for your baby and your family, or with questions about available times and class schedules, contact Mary at [email protected].
Cost:
- Group Classes- $100, three-week class at about 1-1.5 hours/week
- Individual Classes- $150, two-week class tailored to your baby's needs.
Benefits for the baby:
- Babies who are lovingly touched, cry less and become ill less often
- Studies indicate that babies who are massaged on a regular basis, have less stress hormone (lower cortisol levels)
- Massage improves weight gain
- Eases colic, gas, and constipation
- Promotes relaxation and sleep by regulation of behavioral states
- Promotes, social, emotional, and cognitive development
- Stimulates the respiratory system, circulatory system, immune system, and digestive system
Benefits for the parents:
- Promotes bonding and attachment between parent and baby
- Mothers who massage their babies have increased confidence in their parenting skills
- Reduces stress levels and decreases postpartum depression
- Promotes better understanding of infant cues
Benefits for premature babies:
- Facilitates weight gain
- Reduces stress hormones
- Counterbalances pain responses
- Promotes mature motor behavior
- Improves immune function/gastric motility
- Improves, clinical and developmental scores
- Helps reduce hospital stay time.
Contact Mary at [email protected] or call 260-483-2100 to learn more about this program and upcoming class dates.