This past weekend Dayna and I had the privilege of attending the Empowered to Connect conference in Barrington, Illinois. The conference was great, and we received a great deal of information, knowledge, and resources. So over the next several weeks, a lot of the blog information will be information received from the conference.
The first thing that I wanted to share with you was a resource regarding infant massage. Infant massage is not a new concept, and definitely beneficial for every baby, whether biological or adopted.
Many adopted children have had less than ideal in-utero experiences. The amount of stress (physical, mental, emotional, etc.) on a biological mother during her pregnancy greatly influences the development of the child during the pre-natal period. Infant massage is a great way to relax with your baby, and also a means to develop strong attachment and bonding. The benefits of infant massage include:
- attachment
- relaxation
- promotes healthy sleep
- improves circulation and overall health
- develops healthy sensory stimulation
- and many more benefits
I have had several adoptive parents share with me their positive experiences with infant massage. For a child that has already endured many stressors in their tiny life, infant massage helps them learn to calm, relax, and regulate their anxiety.
If you would like more information regarding infant massage, you can go to the following website where you can learn more and even order an education DVD regarding infant massage:
http://babybabyohbaby.com/infant-massage-video-preview.html
ICM Adoption Network 
Count me in as another adoptive mom who had good success with infant massage. More than one of our children (newborns) were exposed to drugs/alcohol in utero and the effects on their systems (muscle and regulatory) were present. The infant massage we learned through networking with our local Birth-Three early intervention group was a life-saver in many ways. I highly recommend it. Additionally, if someone isn’t familiar with where to go to find out more about infant massage, your local hospital may offer such classes to teach new parents about the techniques. This is how we learned more and attended the classes offered by our local hospital/therapists. 🙂
By: april on April 22, 2013
at 11:53 am
Thank you for the additional resources/tips April!
By: icmadoptionnetwork on April 22, 2013
at 12:03 pm
We are using that dvd in our Pregnancy Resource Centers now, it’s great! We have used some of the concepts with our son, too, he loves it. Glad to hear it’s approved by Karen Purvis.
By: Nate on April 22, 2013
at 12:19 pm