Our new baby and toddler massage and yoga classes launched in July, with the aim of helping to tackle feelings of isolation new mums may have experienced due to the pandemic. Mums and babies in the massage classes can enjoy an hour of relaxation and bonding through gentle touch, song and movement. The yoga classes gives parents and children an opportunity to exercise and have fun together, through gentle yoga stretches and poses. The classes are run in partnership with Mel Benson of BirthBabyYou. Here, Mel reflects on the classes so far and the many benefits they can bring to new mums:
“The baby massage, baby yoga and toddler yoga sessions I provide through Home-Start North Somerset have been a valuable service coming out of lockdown allowing new mums to form friendships and gain much needed support. Giving birth and the transition to parenthood during normal times can be very lonely. However, these mums have been faced with the additional challenges of the pandemic and lockdown heightening feelings of isolation.
“The sessions have provided a safe space for mums to bond with their babies and meet other new mums. The classes have encouraged reflection on their own birth journeys, a very important part of healing for those mums who may not have experienced the birth they had envisaged. Giving birth and the immediate postnatal period can bring many unexpected challenges and being able to share their experiences with each other can be hugely beneficial.
“As well as the benefits to mums’ mental health and reduction in feelings of isolation, the benefits for the babies and toddlers include bonding and attachment, physical and speech and language development. “Many of the mums have formed a great support network and I am sure, for some, lifelong friends. Through the setting up of a social media chat group they have been able to organise their own meet-ups outside of the sessions. The mums who attended baby massage enjoyed it so much they progressed on to baby yoga with their babies, with some even staying on for a further term of baby massage. Some mums have also gone on to access other services offered by Home-Start.”
The classes were made possible thanks to funding from NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG to support families in the pandemic and are being delivered in partnership with Melanie Benson from BirthBabyYou using the Birthlight methodology.
Photo by Charlotte Munford