Massage is the message

Art Nadler

Monday, Nov. 3, 1997 | 9:41 a.m.

Got a colicky baby? Just can't sit still? Is wide awake at 2 in the morning, and wondering why you're not up, too?

Before you reach for the high blood pressure pills, or call dear old mom to jump in a cab and rush over, maybe some massage therapy might be in order.

Not for you.

The baby.

That's right. Even these little guys -- and guyettes -- need some touch-and-feel tenderness. You'd be surprised what massage can do.

Betty Lucas, a registered nurse at University Medical Center, conducts 10-week classes for new parents eager to tighten bonds with their babies via massage.

The meetings are informal and conducted on the floor in an intimate living-room manner.

With parents sitting and babies reclining on their backs, Lucas begins by showing her pupils how to work the infants' legs and feet. The hips and toes are gently milked with a slight squeezing and twisting action.

Toes are squeezed and followed with a pushing on the soles of the feet from heel to toe. Turning to the chest, with hands grasped in an open-book manner, parents are shown how to roll across the upper torso in heart-shape moves.

"You have to listen to what they are telling you," Lucas says in a soft voice. "Watch their faces when they cry. They are telling you a story. We have to let them cry. Hold them lovingly and let them cry."

Glenn Hawkins, the parent of 6-month-old Cole, found the open-book butterfly massage especially helpful after his son ate. The infant didn't cry as much when his belly swelled from the feeding.

"It only took me a minute to get food through the digestive system," Hawkins says. "When you start pushing, the food goes down and he feels better."

Tim and Jen Trone are the parents of 6-week old Chelsee. Besides relaxing their daughter, the Trones discovered that massage made their lives as new parents easier, too. Not having a screaming baby around makes them feel more relaxed.

"For me, it takes only 10 minutes out of my time to massage Chelsee," Jen Trone says. "That's nothing. Now she knows that when she's sick she can come to me. It builds a bond."

Lucas says you can tell which adults weren't touched much when they were babies. They are more aggressive and don't seem to have close ties with their parents.

"Dads have been made to feel over the years that they don't know how to do things," Lucas says of some men's lack of affection. "They hold a baby straight out. Mothers cradle the baby's head against their chest, close to the heart. So I show dads how to hold a baby like a football (tucked close under one arm with the head held in the hand.) That's easier for them."

Besides making babies feel good and digest food better, Lucas says massage helps growth hormone development and improves breathing. In many countries, she says, parents massage their babies routinely.

"The stronger the family unit, the stronger our society will be," Lucas says. "When babies grow up, they will be able to give more love. Maybe this way, we can reduce a lot of crime.

"We suggest every day, pick a time when the parents won't be distracted. The baby will tell you for how long.

"The hand that massages is not the hand that hits."

Lucas stresses that it's important to not manipulate the infant's muscles. The hands are gently passed over the baby's body, and if the infant shows any resistance, massage should be stopped.

Stomach massages should not be done an hour after formula feeding, or 20 minutes after breast-feeding, Lucas warns. Any sooner would result in a baby throwing up its food.

"Babies who have good attachments with their parents are sympathetic, help others and have a good rapport with other people," Lucas says. "Massage is so important because many parents drop their babies off at day care. You need to strengthen your bond when you're with them."