Through that pamphlet, I learned how important sleep is for my baby’s growth and development. I was worried at first that RJ might not be getting the sleep she needed because she routinely woke up at night which is common to newborns. What I did is I helped her established a regular pattern of sleep using the miracle reflex with the help of Johnson’s baby oil. Wondering what miracle reflex is? Miracle reflex is a light stroke in the forehead that stimulates a reflex to close baby’s eyes. I damped my thumb with a drop of Johnson’s baby oil and stroke RJ’s forehead lightly, right down the middle to the bridge of her nose. I did the miracle reflex while humming in my low voice and it helped her feel calm and relaxed and soon made her fall asleep.
As RJ grows, I started to massage the other parts of her body. I constantly rubbed her back and tummy round and round while singing her favorite lullaby and milking massaged her arms and legs with Johnson’ baby lotion. This is not just to put her to sleep but for her to feel that she is well nurtured and loved. Whenever she was upset, I just held her, rubbed or cuddled and it calmed her down.
For babies, skin is the main source of contact with parents. They are sensitive to our touch and the way we handle them. They know when they are being cuddled, caressed or rubbed and I didn’t waste that phase of my baby. I registered to her all the love and care that I can give. Well, that was eight years ago. RJ just turned eight last July 23. Yes, she is already eight but I have not graduated from massaging her yet. Only this time I have consolation because she is massaging me back.
