My Mini Massage

Back in Los Angeles

October 6, 2008 – 8:16 pm
I've been back to Amsterdam for a few weeks and it was great to see lots of friends again. Many friends have had babies over the past year. Any of them do baby massage? No. Why not? Most of them have heard about infant and baby massage, but there's only one place in Amsterdam that teaches baby massage. It's not very well known. As soon as they hear me talk about infant and baby massage, my friends get very excited and would almost like to sign up for a class right away. But, with only a few baby massage classes in the whole country it's hard to turn the excitement into action. You would think..... With so many books about infant and baby massage on the market, there's always one in the bookstore or online that you can buy. You don't have to take a class to start massaging! If it's ...

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New research findings on massage for preterm babies

August 30, 2008 – 8:14 pm
Following up on a groundbreaking study showing that premature newborns who are massaged gain more weight than non-massaged preemies, the researchers at Touch Research Institutes (TRI) at the University of Miami Medical School now have a good idea why. In the study "Vagal (nervous system) activity, gastric motility, and weight gain in massaged preterm neonates," published in July in The Journal of Pediatrics, the TRI team revisited a 1986 study that first revealed that massage therapy facilitates weight gain among preterm infants. Additional studies have yielded the same result. This time, researchers wanted to find out why. They set out to test whether moderate-pressure massage stimulates vagal (nervous system) activity, leading to more efficient food absorption through increased gastric motility and the release of food-absorption hormones, such as insulin. In the study, which was conducted through the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 48 hospitalized preterm infants were randomly ...

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Exciting Announcements!

August 22, 2008 – 12:35 pm
I'm happy to announce that I'll be joining an expert panel of a national massage magazine. I'll start writing a blog for their website. This is so great because it'll give me the opportunity to write about baby and child massage on a national level! It'll also create more awareness about infant and child massage with other massage therapists. I'm currently also in the process of writing a book about infant, baby and child massage. It is planned to come out in 2-3 months. Please stay tuned for more info! Love, Martine

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Book about Infant/Baby and Child Massage

August 8, 2008 – 12:14 pm
I like to keep up to date with books that are out there about infant/baby and child massage. For myself, as background, but also to recommend great books to the parents in my classes. One book that I really love is "Swedish Child Massage, a family guide to nurturing touch" by Lena Jelveus. It is filled with great and sweet pictures that show the strokes in a very easy way. But what I like most is that it is a massage book for the growing child. The first few chapters are about infant/baby massage and the following chapters are about child massage. It shows how you can do a massage for a child and explains why child massage is such a great thing to do. I like this so much, because I don't come across many books that talk about child massage in an easy, parent-friendly way. Most books about child massage ...

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Does Toddler Massage help with tantrums?-part 1

August 1, 2008 – 11:06 pm
When my oldest daughter Wies was in her "terrible-two's and three's" we had many days when we would struggle. It felt like she was constantly pushing my boundaries. I heard myself say "no" so many times in a day that it felt like I was more restricting her (what felt to me as negative) then stimulating her (what felt more positive). Sometimes at the end of a day I had a hard time coming up with something positive that day. I noticed that I had fallen out off the routine of doing massages with her and I started to pick it up again. We did the massage in the mornings and as soon as I had started with it, I felt better. The fact that we had started the day with 15-20 minutes of loving time together, made me feel more capable of handling the tantrums. I seemed to have ...

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Sometimes child massage works like magic

July 25, 2008 – 9:25 pm
This week I started a private class for child massage with a family with almost 7-year old twin boys. When I got at their house they had just finished dinner and the boys were running around, chasing each other and fighting (in a playful way). It looked like they would never calm down to do some massage. But as soon as we asked if they were ready, they split up willingly and we got started. I showed their parents a few strokes and it didn't take long before the massage started to do it's magic; the energy in the house changed completely from being high energy to very calm and relaxing. When I asked the dad how it felt to give his child a massage he said "very relaxing". Yes, getting a massage is relaxing, but giving one has a great relaxing effect as well. Love, Martine

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A massage before bedtime is favourite

July 16, 2008 – 2:36 pm
As a mobile massage therapist doing in-home massages, I work a lot in the evenings. Most of the times I'm able to put the kids down before I go out, or I'll start and my husband takes over when I have to leave. Wies always asks me for a massage before bedtime. When I tell her that we can't do a massage, but daddy will read her a book and tuck her in, I hear a disappointed "Aaaaooooh!". Clearly, a massage before bedtime is her number one. The last 4 evenings I've been out and we haven't been able to do a massage. Tonight I'm off and I'm looking forward to doing a massage with her, as it is our special moment of fun and I know she'll be so happy. Love, Martine

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A new baby/child massage rhyme

July 9, 2008 – 3:00 pm
When I do a massage with my children, Wies (5) and Sara (3), we always incorporate some games or stories into the massage. And why not? Child massage for me is not about the perfect massage stroke, but about having fun with your child in a loving way. Two and three year olds love repetition and so does Sara. We usually don't get beyond our first game or story, because of endless "Again, again!" For Wies, the amount of different stories and games can't be enough, she's always up for more. So, we're always looking for new games to do and stories to tell for our massage. The other day I was searching on internet and found a simple, but cute rhyme that would make a fun child massage rhyme. I tried it with Wies and Sara and yes, it was a winner. I'd like to share it ...

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Welcome to the My Mini Massage blog

July 2, 2008 – 9:05 am
Dear Friends, Thank you for visiting my blog! On this blog I'll write about infant, baby and child massage news, events and interesting happenings in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Please feel free to write comments! Love, Martine

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