Learn baby massage with Ebonie

Did you know massaging your bub is good for you and bub? 

Nurse home visitor, Ebonie Pedretti from ANFPP Danila Dilba Health Service is an infant massage educator. She recently completed her training and is now running monthly baby massage sessions with ANFPP mums at Darwin’s community 

library. 

Ebonie says when bubs are massaged, they cry less, sleep better, are happier, healthier and smarter, feel less stressed and thrive. Baby massage can also make mums feel closer to their bubs. 

“One of the biggest benefits of infant massage is that it promotes and enhances bonding and connection between the infant and their mother or father,” says Ebonie. 

“I’m trying to implement baby massage in my connection with mums so I brought it into one of our group sessions one time and I got at least four or five mums want to sit down and give it a go.” 

She says she used massage once for a client whose baby had colic and wind issues. Ebonie is now trying to introduce massage to all clients. 

“I offer group sessions if the mums are interested and I then slowly let the mums know if they want a private session, I can go to their homes and visit, so it then becomes a good way to engage, to talk to them while they’re doing it - to find out information, make them feel a bit more comfortable. 

“A couple of mothers have said, ‘that’s really cool - I’d love to give that a go’. The mums that did it – they were smiling, they were engaged. They were willing to sit on the mat and do it. I could tell by their body language that they quite enjoyed it. 

“All sorts of research has gone into the benefits of massage for babies. It’s quite structured and beneficial. 

“Amongst other things, it helps babies regulate their sleep pattern if it’s done daily. It can help with reducing crying. 

“It’s good for the lymphatic system because it helps in moving all the blood around and allowing it to be released through massage. 

“So, it helps by lowering the stress hormone levels, making them feel more dozy and settled, so they’re more likely to sleep.” 

Ebonie says there’s a special massage sequence technique mums can use everyday if babies suffer from bad colic: “It’s proven to reduce the bouts and severity, so it’s a blessing for parents.”