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Five Ways Infant Massage Certification Can Support Your Career

  1. CEUs FOR YOU. Infant Massage USA’s four-day course and follow-up certification process awards CEUs for nurses, OTs, LMTs, lactation consultants, doulas, childbirth educators, Infant Mental Health Endorsement, social workers, IL Early Intervention and PTs in some states. For more information, go to: http://infantmassageusa.org/educators/educators.php – continuing
  1. OFFER POWERFUL NEW SKILLS TO PARENTS. When a parent learns to massage their baby, they also learn how to ask permission, read their baby’s cues, develop vital serve-and-return communication skills, to recognize their baby’s behavioral states and much more. It even helps them fall in love with their baby! Instead of just talking about these things, offer a skill that actually makes it happen.

One instructor shared with me: “Infant Massage is the most satisfying work I have ever done. One of the Early Head Start staff people I consult with told me: ‘It is the most perfect thing to accomplish all our goals. It does everything we are hoping for.’ Infant massage gets people to focus on what’s going on with their baby. All the talk, all the hours we spend with families, yet infant massage just does it so quickly.”

  1. ENHANCE YOUR OWN SKILLS. As a parent educator and support person, you will enhance your ability to listen, respond, teach and guide parents and their babies. We immerse ourselves in understanding baby language, and learn many ways to empower parents.

The head of an Early Intervention Agency told me: “This course is a must-have for any professional working with infants or working with parents of infants . . . everyone should know this information.”

  1. BECOME CERTIFIED. You will receive both an Infant Massage USA certificate – giving you the title Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM) – and an international certificate as a Certified Infant Massage Instructor. Add CEIM after your name and you will be part of an international organization with instructors in over 70 countries around the world. Let your supervisor, and your HR department know you have completed this certification process and post the certificate in your office! And add it to your resume, too.
  1. PRESENT CLASSES IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. You will be able to offer classes to families both individually and in groups, through your work, or in your local community. You will receive a 28-page marketing booklet to make it easy to set up classes in your community.

“My overall experience has been amazing . . . . I was unaware how much satisfaction and gratification I would come away with after completing the classes . . . . Hearing about the responsiveness of the babies to the daily massage was heart-warming. It gave me pleasure to hear that because of a daily massage a baby was able to better relax before bedtime and that a baby was having more regular bowel movements due to the stomach massage.“

My Students Speak!

Today was a big exam reading day for me. Read three wonderful certification assignments. Here are some things my students shared with me:

FAITH (LMT): “As a licensed massage therapist, I am already very passionate about massage and I know all the psychological and emotional benefits that it can have on adults, so I can clearly relate to the importance of starting it in infancy….[I have never massaged infants] because I always felt that it was something that the parents should do at that age because a child is learning to bond with their parents. I felt that I should never interfere with that process as a massage therapist. It is a pleasure knowing that as an infant Massage Instructor, that I am an important part of the process of raising up well-rounded, secure, independent, self-confident, socially and emotionally equipped, reassured, smart, calm and loving children that will someday be adults with the same wonderful qualities and an asset to their communities and with the hopes that they will pass it from generation to generation.”

COURTNEY (BCTMB/LMT): “I feel so lucky to be able to share this information with families. I see that it really works. Its so amazing watching the bonding happening between the babies and their caregivers that my heart just swells with love and happiness for them …. I’m so glad that I took this training, and am now able to share these techniques with caregivers. I definitely noticed connections being made between the babies and their parents, and the calming effects the massage had on [them]. This is such a special program to be part of, and I hope that we can one day make this available to every family around the world.”

LISA (IBCLC): “In my clinical practice, I have a philosophy that my job isn’t just to ‘fix breastfeeding problems’, but rather empower my client to feel confident enough to tap into her own self-awareness and self-trust, thus breaking down cultural walls, or past family dysfunction, that keeps us from allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and fall in love with our babies. When I took the Infant Massage course I was very happy to see that this topic is at the core of our training …. My marketing campaign was a big, fat shout out on my Blissed Out Mamas Facebook page. I had a huge response, more than I needed …. As I taught my practice class with my group, I saw the members transform from being apprehensive and insecure, to fully communicating with their babies, and feeling confident in their touch, strokes, and trust within themselves.”

Infant Massage is So Much More than I Thought!

One of my students wrote me:

“When I initially signed up to take the course [Infant Massage Certification Training], I had the intention of using infant massage as a means to relax the baby. After completing the course and certification process, I learned that there are so many more elements to infant massage; bonding and attachment between the baby and the parent are so important in the baby’s life. I was surprised to learn I would not be doing the massage, but after instructing the families, I learned the importance of the parents performing the massage on their babies. Looking back, I thought massage was primarily a means of getting baby relaxed. Now I see that infant massage is more of a communication between the baby and the parent which is vital for their relationship. . . . I felt I was making a difference in how the parents were interacting with their babies early in the babies’ lives. . . . I was overwhelmed with the positive experiences the Moms had in the sessions.”

 

 

Spreading Infant Massage to Haiti

Naturopaths WIthout Borders, also a non-profit association assisting Haiti with disaster relief, will be providing the location of one of the trainings in cooperation with the Educational Association - CEMEA of Haiti. Funds are needed there as well.
Naturopaths WIthout Borders, also a non-profit association assisting Haiti with disaster relief, will be providing the location of one of the trainings in cooperation with the Educational Association – CEMEA of Haiti. Funds are needed there as well.

I have been invited to Haiti to train 50 professionals who work with families to become Certified Infant Massage Instructors. They will teach families whose lives have been challenged by earthquakes, hurricanes and the challenges of living in a country with the highest poverty rate in the world how to give more nurturing touch to their infants. Infant Massage can help children release stress, increase resiliency, develop a loving connection with their parents and improve immune function.

Two trainings have been set up for us in March, one in Port-au-Prince and the other in the northern part of Haiti. But in order to go, my fellow trainer JoAnn Lewis and I need to raise funds for our airfare and land travel, and the materials needed for the trainings.

If you are interested in helping, find out more at our fundraising site:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-haiti-s-babies-through-infant-massage-training

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Jody

Using Infant Massage in a New Parent Support Program Overseas

One of my new CEIMs, Lisa Steffian, wrote me from Spain: My position as the New Parent Support Program Specialist at a base in Europe allowed me excellent access to all expectant parents served at our base hospital. I collaborated with a variety of early childhood educators, health professionals, and specialists to promote my class via flyers during other parenting workshops offered on the base. I conducted a monthly radio show on our local Armed Forces Network station. During this time, I was able to discuss the benefits of infant massage and to market my classes. I published my class flyer in our local base newspaper, the Coastline on a bi-monthly basis. I had a booth at two of our Healthy Families Fairs where I was able to distribute flyers advertising my classes and to hand out articles outlining the benefits of infant massage.  I received web articles from the newsletter which I printed and shared with my students.

I tried to start the class with some humor to loosen everyone up. Once we really started engaging as a class and I noticed the impact of massage on the parents and babies, I felt very emotional at times. I saw dads that I thought of as tough guys really connect with their new babies. I witnessed the power and intimacy created between couples who came to class and learned how to massage together. I became motivated to share this skill with non-traditional students, like dads who are in combat or deploy frequently.

I would like to advertise my infant massage classes to first-time active duty military fathers. An opportune time to do this would be during the “Daddy Bootcamp” classes they have at our local Naval base. These classes are for men only, typically very down to earth, and not overly “touchy feel” like some of the mom’s groups I attend. I would try to keep my pitch to learn infant massage light and use a sense of humor, but also make it factually based. During all “Daddy Bootcamp” classes there is a section about the “Period of Purple Crying” (when newborn is about 4-8 weeks of age) when crying typically peaks and may seem inconsolable. During this section, I would recommend infant massage as a key strategy to help out during this stressful period at home.

One of the things that military dads worry about is how deployment will affect their family. I suggest that doing infant massage is one way to stay connected and to reconnect with your newborn before and after deployment.

Being an instructor in Infant Massage has enriched my life in many ways, most importantly it has gotten me back in touch with young parents.

Infant Massage Helped My Children

One of my students wrote me today:

“My youngest daughter suffers from extreme constipation and a bowel syndrome. We have tried prune juice, Miralax(r), and various other remedies suggested by her physicians. Once I started performing infant massage [regularly] on her (particularly the ‘colic routine’, with a focus on her belly,  twice daily), she began to have consistent bowel movements, more frequently, and with significantly less pain.

My older daughter is 11 and experiencing “growing pains” in her feet and legs.  It is so fantastic that she will come to me and literally say, “Mommie, can  you massage my legs and feet?  I’m growing and they hurt.”  She is always present when I massage her little sister, and has witnessed the benefits she has reaped, so my oldest is outspoken about her massage needs as well.

I am so thrilled that I am able to help my children naturally, through a bonding process, and without medication.  I cannot say enough positive comments about your class, Jody! You, your class, and the massage techniques have made a valuable impact on my precious little family, and I will never forget you for that.”

 

Infant Massage with Child with Special Needs

 

I heard this nice story from one of the CEIMs I taught:

I work as a pediatric physical therapist primarily with infants with medical issues and developmental delays. I have one little boy (I’ll call him Bode) that I work with who is 18 months old and has a diagnosis of spastic cerebral palsy.  In addition to having cognitive and language delays, Bode has significantly high muscle tone that impacts his ability to move and progress with his motor skills. This delay in his motor skills  also greatly impacts his ability to play which is the most important part of life for an 18 month old! Lastly, his hypertonia appears to cause him some discomfort.

Bode’s parents initially had a very difficult time accepting Bode’s diagnosis. With time and a lot of support, they have come to cherish Bode for who he is. Bode’s parents have always been very proactive in his care and want to do whatever they can to support his development and make him more comfortable.

I showed Bode’s parents how to perform massage on Bode. His parents took turns with the massage techniques and really enjoyed the connection they had with Bode and with each other. With the stress of Bode’s diagnosis, his parents had recently had a difficult time connecting with one another and the process of massaging their son was a bonding process for them.

Bode absolutely loved the massage!  He would light up when they rubbed their hands together with oil, anticipating the massage. The techniques helped Bode’s muscle tone relax. This made it easier for Bode’s parents to put on his foot orthotics, which in the past had been a process that triggered anxiety.  Reducing Bode’s spastic muscle tone helped him to move easier and with less facilitation. He could manipulate toys more easily and play! Bode’s parents would perform massage prior to stretching Bode which appeared to make Bode more comfortable and less irritable during stretching time.

I have found the massage techniques to be crucial in the care I provide to these children who present with varying disabilities.  The parents have loved the bond they feel with their children and report very positive results from the techniques. I plan to share these massage techniques with every child I work with in the future!