Baby Massage: Experience with my mother 'Peer Support' by Mary Kay

Caring for a baby with additional needs is a difficult and heart breaking experience. Especially when there is lack of support from family and friends, as was the case with Nicky. The new mum found it very hard to care for her baby with additional needs, carrying out household chores, and most importantly, coming to terms with son s condition... Though her family lived in the same area, none of them was willing to give her the necessary support. The baby s medical condition demanded that he be separated from her immediately after birth, and this made it very difficult for her to bond with him... Nicky was later referred for baby massage. Will this experience help her bond with her baby? Will it assist her deal with her own demons that haunted her?

I have been lucky enough to be sent another of Mary Kay's fantastic books about the benefits of baby massage. I have previously reviewed A Father's Journey and was very impressed with the message given out by the book and I hope it has sucessfully encouraged more fathers to try Baby Massage with their young babies. 

This book is from the same series but this time concentrates on babies born with additional needs. It begins while the mother, Nicki, is in labour and those initial minutes after the baby is delivered and the midwives, doctors and then the family realise that something is wrong. The book is written as a story but the factual detail included is extensive. 

The book covers much more than just the benefits of baby massage for both the baby and the mother/father. Both Nicki and Fraser's (the parents) emotions, worries, concerns and thoughts are all included within the book, along with the feelings of the family. 

The main part of the book is concerned with the baby massage classes and the members of that class. The tutor picks up on a number of issues concerning Nicki and Baby Tony but it is through the 'social' part of the session that Nicki is able to build friendships and talk unguarded about concerns she has about Tony and her marriage. As a new mum it is common to feel isolated and to stay in the home, not wanting to visit groups or meet up with others - this is true for many mothers with new borns, but for Tony's parents, with Tony having additional needs, they feel even more isolated but after being referred to the Baby Massage group, she is able to conquer some of these fears. The book shows the benefits of support from other new mum's and their families. 

Although this book concentrates on Tony and his family and his specific condition, this does not mean the book isn't something all new parents should read. The content is relevant to all - baby massage is the perfect way to interact with a young baby, understand their needs, friendship with other new mothers, and the benefits to all.

As I said on my previous review for A Father's Journey, this is part of a great series of books from  m2bn book publishing, which look at things from fathers and mothers perspectives and include the benefits of baby massage.

I would recommend this book specifically to fathers to be and new fathers but I think that the book series as a whole should be promoted in ante natal classes, hospital delivery and post natal wards, children's centres and doctors surgeries to prospective parents and new parents, where there are a wide range of emotions and worries that are felt by many mothers and fathers that could be reassured by reading these books.


Thank you to the publishers, M2BN Book Publishing, for sending me the book to review.