Maternal touch

Developmental baby massage classes in Dubai

For expectant as well as new mothers in Dubai, being able to attend active birth and developmental baby massage classes could be a wonderful experience. Such classes are conducted by Sonia Winter at The Ballet Centre thrice a week.

In her classes, Sonia instructs the new mothers to massage the tiny bodies and stretch the limbs of their babies.

Sonia used to be a casualty nurse before training with the National Childbirth Trust in the UK to be an antenatal teacher.

She also trained as a Developmental Baby Massage teacher in the UK. The birth of a baby heralds a difficult phase in a woman's life.

She has to look after all his needs and sometimes, because of circumstances, can depend only on her natural instincts, says Sonia.

Massage stimulates the muscles and helps build up the upper body and gives strength to the lower back, she informs. It also help the babies develop a good posture when they eventually start to walk.

"It is very important for mothers to massage their babies instead of employing someone to do it," points out Sonia.

"It helps develop the special bonding between the mother and child. Babies can be massaged in the class until they are six months old or before they start crawling and exploring," she adds.

The youngest baby that Sonia has had in her class was just two weeks old.

"I started these classes for new mums to come together as a group, discuss their problems and be involved in interaction with their babies. This is a time of bonding and sharing and mothers need to concentrate on their babies who demand attention from the mother during this period," says Sonia.

The 30-minutes massage is followed by discussions on the various aspects of bringing up a baby.

The classes also provide counselling for new mothers to help them overcome post-natal difficulties and problems in adjusting to the new role.

Sonia gives useful advice and also recommends helpful books, websites and literature.