Hi I have seen 2 paed. and they have both advised against any oil massage for my 11 day old son..sighting various reaons ranging from the oil blocking the skin pores, to his being underweight (2.6 kgs) and also the massage ladies becoming too harsh with the child. On the other hand there is family and age old notion that oil massage is best for babies. Pls let me know based on ur exp. wht is best. waiting! thanks. Hetal replied. massage is always good for babies. and yes its beneficial..it relaxs baby mucscles,calms them and also ensures positive bonding between the person who massages and baby...the results have shown that some babies who were even full term,but physically weak,, when given regular massage with prroper care and touch,,improved thr physical makeup and also toned thr muscles well,,and later after 6months, though exclusivly or bm or formula,,and without solids had a perfectly well built body ! during thr birth, thr joints were weak, thr muscle was not tightly and thr nerves were all tensd up,.it often happens in cases where babies go in distress for longer duration and are not able to recover from it..it also dpends on mothers pregnancy and how mother took care in thr diet, esp the calcium diets.improper calcium intake resultd in weak joints,,,,,
but all was solved with proper massage and also added supplemnts...
so yes its beneficial...at 2.6kgs,,its no problem at all to give massage,,,make sure to DO IT YOURSELF ! because when baby is underwght,,relying on outside hand might be a risky step,,however if you know that person is experienced enough in takng care while massgng the premature/preterm/underwght(as said by dr)babies,,thn it should not be a problem...
watever oil you use,,use the edible oil and use it in purest form,.its winterr time,,using a lukewarm olive oil will prove beneficial,,and so will sesame oil...make sure not to tire your baby during massage,,massagge is to relax and not get tired and sleep !!!!! your baby might feel sleepy but he shouldnot look tired ! the time of massage was should not exceed more than 15mins,and room should be not too cold,not too hot,,just right enough that baby enjoys massages,,,a lil oil goes longway..oil is good for lubircation and to some extent is absorbd by skin but only when its apply lightly,,if applied too much,it will irrritate your baby skin and your givng bath will become a tedious job,,so avoid that,,,
hope these helps !! check for babies responses on skin when ne oil is used,,not all oils are good for all skins ! if nothing works,,a normal lubrucation of ne good cream will also work,,,,what is needed is finger touch and not the lubrication !
good luck ! SP replied. Hi RN.
my son was 1 month premie and weighed 2.8 KG.. we started giving him massage and bath after the 11th day, once we came back from hospital. this helped him so much, to sleep, grow and gain weight!
he also had some resp probs at birth.. but massage dint affect anything
also if u r not sure of the maids.. y cant u or one of your family members do it? its always better for a family one to do it! meghna replied. hi ,
hey when my daughter born she was also only of 2.5 kg. she born 18 days early.
but we did her message for six months from her 3rd day. there was not any problem but my pediatrician told me that if the baby has any problem like jaundice or something else.
& as the \" mom\" says it really helps babies for colic, bady ache etc.& for my baby when we give her massage she really sleeps well .
well u r best decision maker for ur baby.

all the best,
meghna. mom replied. hey...
is the baby premature? If yes, then i m not sure if u shd massage the baby. Your Dr wd be the right person.

And for 2.6kgs weight, if u r worried .. one option is to weight for a month or so to let the wt increase, and start massage when baby is 3+ kgs. This way ur both probs will b solved.

good luck
mom mom replied. Hi

me .. mom again .. :-)

Thats right .. modern science says there r no proven advantages of massage .. and our age old trend says it is so good.

Finally it is upto you.

I decided to go for it for one main reason : Too much handling by different hands of a new baby makes the baby tired, and a massage would relax the aching muscles. Also, new born babies often have colic/gas troubles and massage may help ease that.
Oil is just used as a lubricant.

Do check maid's hands that they are soft and not rough. Make sure she is hygenic and is in good health (no cough cold etc). Ask her to wash hands and legs properly with antiseptic soap.. make sure her hands are not cold ... give her a clean gown/old saree to wear on top of her clothes if u think she is dirty ...

take care not to let the baby be nude in this cold weather for long. U may use a room heater (but take care of room's humidity levels) .. and keep other body part covered with baby sheet while massaging one part.

Some time back, there was a good exchange of posts between moms in this board on baby massage. Hetal had sent a great post on how to do a massage to baby.

I cd not find that link but i had saved the info for my use, so i am pasting it below.
Also, One person had also sent a site link where pics/instructions were available for massage. Cd not locate that .. see if u can find it.

hope this helps!
mom
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some steps of massage---
1..Massage your baby daily, it will calm both of you down .
2.Babies who get regular massages will have a great long-term effect here: have better motor skills, be healthier..

3.Before you start, \" ask permission\" (you wouldn't like someone to just start massaging you all over when you least expect it, right?). This is how you ask permission: put one hand on the baby's belly, and stroke the whole side of your baby from head to toe with the other one, while saying \" would you like a massage?\" . Switch hands and repeat with the other hand, while looking for cues from your baby. You'll know if the answer is yes or no.if he fusses, then do it someother time.

4.How to massage the legs: one at the time. One hand holds one foot (put your thumb under the foot and wrap your hand around it) while the other hand massages the leg, like so: wrap your hand around the thigh, then using a back-and-forth rocking motion make your way down to the foot. Repeat 3-4 times, then do the other leg.

5.How to massage the arms: same thing as the leg, just with the arms (I know, shocking).

6.The belly, stroke #1: this is very light, with one finger (light touch, like you're tickling) makes an outward spiral starting from the belly button (important: go CLOCKWISE).

7.The belly, stroke #2: again, very light ticklish touch: use your hand to pretend there's a spider walking on your baby's belly (top to bottom of the belly)

8.The belly, stroke #3: good for gas relief. Right hand on the right side of your baby, left hand cupped at 90 degrees, rock it on your baby's belly as if you are kneading it (be gentle!)

9.The belly, stroke #4: also good for gas. Called \" I Love U\" stroke, because first you make an I with your right index finger along the right side of your baby, top to bottom (you're basically following the last bit of his intestinal track). Then you make an inverted L shape, left to right and top to bottom (again, if you know what an intestinal track looks like, this will make sense). Then you make an inverted U shape, left side bottom to top, then left to right, then top to bottom again.

10.The back: this is hard since babies don't like to be on their belly so much, so you can do these while holding your baby to your chest, like you're burping her. 3 basic strokes: 1.stroke the back top to bottom, 2.zig-zag your way down the back, 3.with one finger make little circles along the side of the baby's spine, top to bottom

11.The scalp: same as the spider crawl, but on the head. My baby and my wife love this one.

12.Quick forhead trick: with thumb, go from nose up to hair-line a few times. It's like one of those tricks they use to put tigers to sleep. ;)

13.Never massage when the baby is crying (unless you do it to help with gas)

14.Oils: not needed, but if you really want you should use something your kid can eat (when they put their hands in their mouths), so an Organic Sunflower Seed Oil or any other cooking oil is good.

15.Hands: obviously try to warm up your hands before you start.
and have a very nice atmosphere around, and keep temperature good enough tht it doesnt make your baby feel cold,,or too hot,,,he will get frustrated by it..
good luck.
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