We had a chance to catch up with Doris after she completed our last Baby Massage Teacher Training course with Peter Walker in South Kensington. We’re thrilled to see that she was able to utilise the training and experience amazing results so quickly! Read on to see how Doris has made the most of her Baby Massage Teacher Training.
What did you think of the course? Did you enjoy anything in particular?
I very much enjoyed the course with Peter and his honest personality as well as his passionate way about the subject made it a great experience. His many years of experience stand out in particular and put a lot of weight on his teaching quality.
How have you used the baby massage training?
A week after the course I started to work for a family as their maternity nurse for a third child and I incorporated the reassurance program in the daily care routine as well as randomly throughout the day whenever there was an opportunity. At around 8 weeks of age, I slowly started to do the developmental baby massage. Since day one most of the steps of peters, teaching have been applied to the baby by myself or the parents during my days off. We used some of the techniques during the day when the baby was awake but also while he was asleep. Because of existing head trauma we did not do the craniosacral massage and the baby is now treated from an osteopath every two weeks.
What benefits (if any) have you seen with the babies and parents that you have worked with?
The little boy gained incredible head control from about 3 weeks on, he was exclusively held like Peter advised. In particular, a tiger in the tree has been used from every member of the family. The baby has shown no signs of colic. He is very happy laying on his belly and has a great head lift from very early age on.
He has had no long crying episodes and is still carried in a baby carrier rather than a pushchair. He has developed into a very happy, confident and smiley baby and is interested in other people as well as his surrounding environment. He’s shown very good weight gain although he has been very difficult to latch. The busy working parents wanted me to carry out the message during the week but continued on their own on the weekends when I had days off.
The father especially benefited from this one-on-one time with his third child and gained confidence as well as experienced a deep bonding even from short stretches of exclusive massage time with his baby boy. He enjoyed the holding and reassurance program to boost his confidence in dealing with such a small baby (2900 Gram birthweight).
What do you wish you knew before doing the training?
I was a bit worried about not having any basic knowledge about adult massage or anatomy but during the course, Peter explained every question in detail and we exercised the different techniques multiple times …leaving everybody confident and very well informed.
Do you have any advice for those who are thinking about doing the baby massage teacher training but aren't sure?
I have been working as a maternity nurse for many years but was lucky to see the difference it has made in just the first baby that I have applied the developmental baby massage to. I am able to explain to parents why these steps are so important and this makes the parents feel better prepared and more confident in their role.
The knowledge I have gained during the course is perfect to share with soon-to-be new parents as well as second or third-time parents. I have enjoyed so far 4 introductions to parents and have had great feedback from them. I find it an extremely useful tool as a maternity nurse and would highly recommend taking this course.