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SETTING THE SCENE

For these results to occur, however, you need to create a soothing, non-stimulating environment. For preemies, the stakes are even higher. Ramsey mimics in-utero conditions for her most fragile clients.

Wrapping babies in a blanket gives them the same boundaries as the uterus, she says. The babys limbs can be unwrapped as needed. Or she keeps one hand on the baby at all times, so the baby feels secure. Or you might massage a breast-feeding baby, secured in his mothers arms.

The massage therapist must feel secure, too. Start in a very slow, calm, settled core state of being, Takikawa says. If you approach the infant in any other place, its questionablein my mindhow much good you do that baby.

Follow your common sense. Stay away from tender spots, such as areas that have recently received shots or IVs. Since sounds in the uterus are muffled, except for the mothers heartbeat, use music with great discretion, if at all.

For most infants, the human voice is best. Its really about the human interaction, and about the sensory development of the baby, says Rosemary White-Traut, DNSc, RN, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. If you add a massage to an environment that is already chaotic, it overstresses the baby.

So keep things mellow. Place your face within 7 to 12 inches of the babys face, where they can see the best. Dont use flavored or scented oils. Infants have noses like bloodhounds, Reese says. She says no mineral oil, either, which is like wrapping a baby in cellophane.

Instead, use edible, all-natural fruit or vegetable oil, unscented and unflavored. Taste is important since babies suck on their hands and toes and on the massage-givers hands and fingers. Reese recommends pharmaceutical grade oil for preemies, because the protein content in a typical fruit or vegetable oil is too high for their thin skin.

The next step? Use the right touch. Studies show that moderate pressure is required for full benefits. Light stroking is a tickle sensation and does not lead to [benefits], Fields says.

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