There's no false rub between Navy spouse Rhea Laden and Royce, her 4-month-old son.

The Ladens' are enrolled in Naval Hospital Bremerton's fledgling Infant Massage program, a five-week, one-hour-per-week course conducted by Sheryl Adams, a Naval Hospital Bremerton social worker.

"Royce loves it," said Laden. "It's a great way to bond for us. We do it every night and his dad is also involved."

According to Adams, the Infant Massage course is based on the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM), the largest and most experienced infant massage organization in the world with a presence in more than 50 countries. The founder drew from current medical and scientific evidence to support the positive benefits of nurturing touch upon both infant and parent.

"The main reason is that this is a recommended bonding experience not only for mom, but also dad," Adams said. "The massage techniques we go through also help stimulate the body with blood flow, and even pre-language communication skills."

The course is designed for parents and their infants from birth to one-year old to enhance the connection between them that began during pregnancy. Parents are taught to massage their babies in class. The parents receive an instruction booklet as well as a bottle of massage oil to help them practice at home and incorporate infant massage in their daily routine.

Although there are numerous benefits of infant massage, promotion of bonding and sleep/relaxation are two very important reasons to sign up for a class and learn the techniques.

The massage techniques are based upon Indian massage and Swedish massage, reflexology and yoga.

"For example, the Swedish milking style of massage, that focuses on the infant's legs, helps relax the baby and moves blood up towards the heart as it stimulates blood flow," Adams said. "If just done on the feet, it's more about reflexology," she said, adding that the massage techniques employed can positively impact sleep and stress.

Adams notes that touch is the first sense to develop and the first way that many children learn to communicate with one another. Massage, or nurturing touch, is considered to be both emotionally and physically healing for all.

"Today, massage is accepted as a viable health care alternative known to decrease stress and improve the ability to relax," Adams said. "This is in part because massage decreases stress hormones (i.e, cortisol, norpinephrin) and increases relaxing or anti-stress hormones (i.e., oxytocin, prolactin, serotonin). Mothers who have been through massage classes with their infants consistently report better sleep and feeling less stress. A recent study by Beider, Mahrer, and Gold (2007) showed that among the many benefits for baby, massage therapy, applied in the evening, can help normalize the sleep cycle."

Rhea attested the course has provided a wonderful bonding experience for her husband, Simon, to also share with their son. Simon, assigned to USS Louisiana (SSBN 743) gold crew, practices the infant massage techniques and the associated bonding time at bath time on a nightly basis. But it took some prompting on behalf of Rhea.

"When I explained about it, I got a blank stare at first," said Rhea. "But I walked him through it and he said, 'this is interesting,' and he's into it now."

Part of the course structure is built on the premise of promoting bonding between parent and child by using pre-language communication skills.

"Human bonding -- the ability to love, to trust and to form healthy relationships throughout the lifespan -- is strongly influenced by the emotional and physical connection that develops in the first attachment relationship: the relationship between mother and her baby," shared Adams, citing the attachment is strengthened when both the father and mother notice, understand and respond lovingly to the baby's needs and by the baby's ability to reciprocate by cooing, smiling, and cuddling.

Communicating with baby occurs primarily via eye contact, skin contact, vocalization, and other reciprocal interactions. The Infant Massage course helps parents develop observation skills, respond appropriately, and as a result promote good parent-infant interaction.

The Laden's are the fourth infant massage family to enroll in the course. Adams has been training at Madigan Army Medical Center to hone her skills in teaching the course and is starting to offer to those who might benefit.

"We get an hour together and it's a total pleasure," Adams said. "We get to know each other. They all know that can call me whenever they need to talk or ask anything, and not just when their husband is deployed."

Adams added, the course helps a family get into a bonding routine and helps establish a connection not only between all family members but also with Adams as an NHB social worker.

"It is nice knowing Sheryl is here if Simon is working," Laden said. "Being able to get together for this (course) is healthy for sanity sake for me as a mom. I get to interact and have an actual conversation with an adult instead of possibly being at home all day and just speaking to children in baby-talk."

Military families interested in enrolling in the course may contact Sheryl Adams at (360) 475-4485. Both moms and dads are welcome to attend.
For more news from Naval Hospital Bremerton, visit www.navy.mil/.