Once back in Colorado, USA, she researched Indian, Swedish and Yoga massage methods for infants and practiced them on her own two children. She wrote books on this topic as well as about babies in general and also midwifery. She began to teach others and this led to the founding of The International Agency of Infant Massage. Founded 30 years ago, it is now an international, umbrella organization with branches in 40 countries.

The German branch, founded in 1995, is the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baby- und Kindermassage e.V. One member and teacher is my friend Susanne Hahn. I pooh-poohed the whole idea, saying that stroking baby is a natural instinct. She said, “It is a natural-born instinct, still strong in some people and certainly in so-called primitive folk. However, in the industrialized world, young mothers are often afraid they’ll pick up or touch their babies in the wrong way. Perhaps they, themselves, were not caressed as children. Perhaps no one was around to communicate a touchy feely culture. A background of experience with babies is less frequent in our western world of 1.2 children per family. Where do you find an extended family living under the same roof down on the farm?

“The concept of the DGBM e.V. is Berührung mit Respekt or handle with respect. It aims to strengthen the bond between parent and child and encourages them to take the time to enjoy a loving, relaxing closeness. Touching should be fundamental and childcare should be joyful, not stressful. This goes hand-in-hand with encouraging a more natural birth even in a clinical atmosphere, nursing the child from the beginning, caring for premature babies, calming crying or colicky babies, etc.”

Although already a trained physical therapist, Susanne attended special courses offered by the DGBM e.V. and became a certified, independent course leader. Her courses take place in the rooms of the offene kirche (public church, formerly known as the Evangelische Familienbildungssätte) but they are not church oriented. She accepts babies from three-six months old. Each course lasts six weeks, with mother and child attending once a week for 90 minutes; it costs EUR 46 and is limited to six participants. In one of her courses, mother and baby attend five sessions, and, on the final one, a Saturday morning, father and baby come without the mother. The babies are naked (it’s the skin contact that is so important) so bring a baby blanket, a towel, and some tissues and you’re on your way, unless baby decides it doesn’t want to cooperate that day. It’s all about respect, remember.

See www.iaim.net for information in English about the history and vast scope of IAIM. Look at the German www.dgbm.de and click on Datenbank Babymassagekursleiterinnen. A map of Germany will pop up; click on “2” for Hamburg to find all teachers who conduct these courses near you. Susanne says, “Even if the course is in German, language is not a problem; it’s a monkey-see-monkey-do experience.”

If you are enthusiastic about baby massage, be aware that there are also courses for children or for mothers alone, who then take their experiences back to the family. Perhaps you would like a course in English (we won’t promise, but it’s worth a try), or one nearer to you. In this case, approach a certified teacher and perhaps she can come to you for individual lessons or to you and your five friends for a private group effort if you offer adequate premises. If you are especially interested in the subject, you can attend a four-day course to acquire certification and become a teacher yourself.