Like many new moms, Maria Vasilyeva loves watching her first child grow.
"Yesterday she sat on her own for the first time. It was quite amazing to watch," says Vasilyeva.
But recently Vasilyeva found a new way to bond with her baby.
Regina Greenwood is a certified educator in infant massage. She got into the practice after seeing positive results with her own child.
"I saw a huge difference. The baby was more relaxed and he was sleeping longer and deeper and we had no digestion system issues," says Greenwood.
Common in Europe, infant massage classes like Greenwood’s at Genetic Bond in Redmond are now becoming more prevalent in the States.
"Babies are under a lot of stress. They are going through all different environmental conditions like temperature changes and sounds and lights," says Greenwood. "And they are incredibly sensitive to that. So massage helps to regulate all those new sensations."
Vasilyeva been taking the class for a few week now. She says she can see the change in her 6-month-old daughter, Catherine.
"Now that I'm doing it consistently, and we do it before bed time, I can definitely tell she is calming down."
And the class is pretty calming for the mothers as well.
"It's a great time for me to get away too cause I get to meet other moms and other babies and she gets to meet other babies as well," says Vasilyeva. "It's kind of relaxing calm time for me to get away from the house."
"We have different stroke techniques that comprise elements from Indian massage, Swedish massage. Also yoga and reflexology," says Greenwood.
Though medical research on the benefits of infant massage is limited, Greenwood says the results are undeniable.
"When parents are more relaxed and they are coming back to me and saying how much massage helps them and the whole family, it’s wonderful."
Genetic Bond
16085 NE 83rd St #121
Redmond, WA 98052
(425) 440-1669
