Making a difference

So a pretty cool thing happened today. This morning I checked my email and I had received one from a girl that was in the infant massage class that I took last year. She is about my age and married and expecting her first child June 1st. She said that she remembered me talking in class about my birth experience and how much I loved it. Her husband is in the military and will be deployed during the birth and she really wants to have a natural birth and not feel pressured to receive unnecessary interventions. I remember her from the class. We got along pretty well and connected right away. The class was about infant massage but during every break we ended up talking about child birth haha. She is a sweet girl. So back to the email. She said she wanted to get together soon and chat about my experiences and any advice I can give her to help her prepare for the experience she wants. So I emailed her back that I would love to. Now just waiting for a reply of when.

I just love educating people about their options with birth. I think now a days most people just think its all cookie cutter. You go into a hospital, the doctors do their thing, you have your epidural, you have a baby and your done. But it is so much more than that! Or at least it can be. Birth, although there is of course pain involved, is more than just pushing a baby out and the pain. You are working with your body (and hopefully with a loved one near by to help as well) to bring into this world a beautiful child you created. I don't know about everyone else but knowing that I worked to bring that child in and that I did it without drugs that can potentially harm him/her just brings me so much happiness. Also feeling the pain, though again not the greatest feeling in the world, just made me feel more apart of the whole process. I love being able to share my experience and help other woman see what they can have as well. I can't wait to someday be able to do this as a living. I want to be a child birth educator and a doula someday. I love being able to be apart of something and making a difference. This is something I truly have a passion for.

Certified Infant Massage and Early Bonding Specialist

I took a course this past weekend to become a CIMEB Specialist. It was such a great class!
Did you know that many cultures massage their infants on a daily basis? It wasn't until 1980 that infant massage made a big showing in the U.S. After a bunch of research it was found that massage had amazing benefits on infants. No wonder people have been doing it for hundreds of hundreds of years, right. It was just instinct. In the 80's there was a study done with premature newborns that showed that infants given massage everyday for 10 days gained 47% more weight than infants given no massage. Both groups had the same formula, and care other than the massage. Massage helped their bodies absorb more insulin with helped them retain weight. It saved the hospital $3000 which today would be over $10,000! All because those babies were able to be released sooner from the hospital.

Infant Massage also helps with growth and development in the brain. Skin sensitivity is the earliest developed function and is the most crucial for all sensory system's overall healthy development.  Massage helps to activate the formation of synapses between brain cells. These connections will form pathways that will determine the childs ability to learn.

My favorite thing that massage benefits is the attachment and bonding between parent (or caregiver) and infant.  Prolactin is released when the mother touches the baby. This hormone is what starts the milk production and also it what gives the mother a feeling of nurturing.There is even a rise in the fathers prolactin levels when he is involved with touching their baby and this invokes his nurturing feelings as well.
For adopted or foster care children massage can be amazing for the bonding between the family. Infant massage on a daily basis can be a powerful tool to begin and re create the elements of bonding. Many foster/adopted children have numerous attachment traumas due to having many different caregivers and situations. Its important for adoptive parents to learn how to slowly integrate touch and massage for a child or baby who doesn't like touch.

I learned so much and in such a short period have grown a passion for the work. I have always loved massage and how it can truly heal people. Now I love it even more! Children need massage even more than adults do. The skin is a pretty amazing organ. I can't wait to put this new knowledge and skill into use. I have decided that I am going to direct my focus for my massage career in Prenatal and Infant Massage. I also some day want to be a Certified Childbirth Educator. I have such a passion for family and the bond we have. I want to help all families to strengthen that bond. I know that massage can do that. I am doing a class next month for friends and then soon after will start doing classes for the general public.

What do you have a passion for? I hope you are able to fully utilize your passion for the good of the world :) Go out there and live your passion!