A new children's book written by two Guelph women touches on the benefits of infant massage, for both babies and caregivers.
"It walks you through infant massage in a sweet story way," said Mairin Da Maren, co-author of the book, Your Nose to Your Toes.
De Maren and co-author Tanya Azzopardi are registered massage therapists (RMT) and co-own a practice called Pomegranate Grove Massage & Yoga Centre. The book was released on Sept. 20.
Azzopardi said they have been thinking about writing a book together for a while, but decided to do so after having a conversation about family life and infant massage in 2021.
"Gentle touch is really important to help regulate your nervous system. Manual treatment is good for anybody, but especially for babies," said Azzopardi.
"My first son was this colicky, crazy mess, totally awful, and Mairin had these sweet, very calm babies, and we both were talking about infant massage, and how we did infant massage with our kids, and obviously for really different reasons that we both needed it. I needed it for help, and getting him well, Mairin needed it for this beautiful, ritual experience with her children every day."
The practice of infant massage isn't a new concept. Azzopardi said they spoke with one woman from India who recalled receiving massages from her mother as a child.
"She was like 'This is my whole childhood, it's ingrained in my culture,'" said Azzopardi, adding they hope the practice becomes more mainstream.
Azzopardi and Da Maren wrote the book in three hours in a backroom of their business. Azzopardi explains all the information in the book is pulled from her and Da Maren's training.
"Even learning this routine, there's a lot of thought and formula in it," said Da Maren, adding it only takes a couple of times to memorize the routine.
Both note the pandemic provided a lot of challenges to parents with newborns and wanted to provide the same level of care they had for their children. Along with a book, a 28-minute video is also included with further information on infant massage, using infant massage of a colicky baby and baby yoga.
"Healthcare should be accessible for everyone," said Azzopardi.
The book was published through YGT Media Company and 10 per cent of every sale will go to the Children's Foundation of Guelph and Wellington.
Azzopardi said the children's foundation is close to their hearts, as both of them are mothers.
"It was a really easy decision for us because the Children's Foundation does such amazing work within the community," she said, noting her and Da Maren have run 'massage-a-thons' for the children's foundation in the past.
Besides creating feel good hormones, Da Maren said infant massages can teach young children consent and advocating for their health.
"The baby is not obviously going to give you verbal consent, but you ask, and if they feel receptive, there's this sort of trust that is generated between babies and their caregivers," she said, adding the routine of infant massage creates lasting memories for caretakers.
"And our first page starts out that way, 'Baby always decides which way the massage goes,' because it's teaching that from a very young age that healthy touch is always your decision," said Azzopardi.
Your Nose to Your Toes is available for purchase through Amazon and at Pomegranate Grove Massage & Yoga Centre. The book will be made available at the Bookshelf and other locations at a later date.
