Music, Massage, and Postpartum Depression

Postpartum, many mother find themselves feeling very emotional, from sad to fearful, incapable, mad, or guilty. Known as the postpartum blues, these symptoms usually go away within days of giving birth. When it last longer and is of greater intensity, it is called postpartum depression.

The 10 to 20% who feel depressed for longer can experience the inability to sleep or the desire to sleep much more; recurring thoughts of either something bad happening to their baby or of doing something to hurt the baby themselves; feeling no instinctive need to care for the baby or feeling unable to care; and feeling guilty, mad, unhappy or scared.

We know that massage is beneficial for mothers and for babies; in the instance of postpartum depression, massage benefits both as well as the relationship between the two, allowing them both to experience positive, healing interaction. Mom gets a massage and also learns how to share the experience with her baby.

During those first days after birth and the following first weeks, both baby and Mom will not always sleep well and regularly. Nerves can be on edge and it can seem like all you do as a mother is feed and diaper your baby. A relaxing massage can soothe and calm the mother. If she is also taught how to massage her baby, the shared experience can give them the opportunity to bond. The baby can also find relief from digestive problems and colic, teething, and inability to sleep.

The study ‘Massage and mother baby interaction with depressed mothers’, carried out by Fetal and Neonatal Stress Research Group, considered whether mothers suffering from postnatal depression would benefit from attending baby massage classes.

One group went to five massage classes and another similar (control) group went to a support group. At the end of the test period the massage group had significantly less depression and better interaction with their babies than the control group.

Massage music provides both physical and emotional benefits. It soothes and relaxes while stimulating natural body chemicals that induce optimism and happiness. Physically, both massage and massage music affect the posture, breathing, blood flow and pressure, and pulse rate in positive ways. So both mother and baby can benefit greatly from massage accompanied by massage music.

Listen to samples of massage music and learn more about how massage music can help induce deeper relaxation and therefore greater healing during a massage session.