Niki McGlynn
Organised Mind
Neurodevelopment Therapist and ADHD Coach
Baby Massage & Primitive Reflex Integration
Way back when my son was born, I was
fortunate enough to learn Baby Massage
from Cherry Bond, who introduced Baby
Massage into the UK. Some 15 years ago or so, I
learned to become a Baby Massage instructor so
that I could teach other mums. Now that I have
learned about primitive reflexes and how
important they are for normal development of
babies, I have developed a short massage
programme to teach the basics or Baby Massage
alongside the essentials of primitive reflexes and
an explanation of why these things are so
important for development.
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This programme would be particularly useful for
babies who have had a traumatic or assisted delivery, or if they were born via cesarean section. All of which can have a profound effect on reflex integration and therefore development as a whole.
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Baby Massage is known to improve sleep, digestion and bonding. We know that it improves oxygenation in premature babies and may promote a healthy immune response. It will also help with things like proprioception which will help reduce anxiety. It also helps you to become more confident in handling your baby. You can begin at any age, but some parents prefer to wait until their baby is 6 weeks. You are welcome to feed or change your baby, I have a kettle but not a microwave and if your baby is sleepy, I have a pretend baby that you can practice on, or you can just watch. I will provide you with handouts that you can use at home.
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Primitive reflexes are the movement patterns that all babies make that help with development. They begin inside the womb and trigger the baby kicks the you feel, they help with the birthing process, then help finding food, rolling, crawling and eventually walking. Retained primitive reflexes can cause issues with emotional contro, vision, hearing, reading, writing and focus and concentration.
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