A new kind of Baby Class

Fall in love with Daisy Baby!

Lazy Daisy has also been offering complete continuity of care from through their well loved postnatal baby classes for just as long as their popular birthing classes.  Inspired by the training she received from Francoise Freedman (Birthlight) and Pauline Carpenter (Touch Learn), the original Lazy Daisy classes were very much a celebration of the benefits of traditional infant yoga and massage.  Today however, Daisy Baby™ looks very different!

How our new look classes evolved

Over the past 7 years Julie has used each and every baby class, each and every baby and of course the addition of baby number  five to her own family in 2009, to really fine tune what she considers to be the ideal programme for the forth trimester – in other words those first precious 3-4months with baby.  Her mantra 'Babies bond in arms not on mats' .....  

Daisy Baby™ is very much about honouring and respecting the typical emotional and physical responses of mum and baby in those early weeks and acknowledges babies find it difficult to spend prolonged periods lying on their back.  As Julie explains ‘Lying on their back on a mat or in a cot is completely alien as has none of the characteristics baby would have experienced in the womb.  In addition, this can stimulate the ‘startle reflex’ leaving baby feeling as though they are falling’.  This helps mums to understand why their gorgeous little bundle may fret and fuss in a more traditional infant massage class.  In DB sessions we very rarely find babies fuss for long as each segment, movement or background noise calms them so quickly.

In a typical Daisy Baby™ class, baby will spend an abundance of time in mummy’s arms, enjoying all of the positive touch and soft stretch of a more traditional class but delivered in a more ‘easy to digest’ format, all set to a beautiful ‘baby calming’ sound track.  This sound track has been carefully composed to embrace the benefits of white noise and rhythm – vital triggers for engaging baby’s natural calming reflex (a reflex which is subtly stimulated throughout the class).  We use these sounds and music to help install rhythm (a wonderful learning tool for baby as not only so soothing but also vital for future linguistic skills), to create learning experiences which are defined and recognised easily, and to help mum and baby feel serene!

Just like Daisy Birthing® rhythmical, repetitive movements are used coupled with words, affirmations and sounds to install muscle memory both in mummy and baby.  This process not only helps baby adjust to the world outside of the womb, gently integrating their primitive reflexes but also allowing them to learn how to uncurl physically and emotionally but also helps mum to find confidence in handling and calming baby.   As many health care professionals have observed it is instinct to want to calm your baby but not necessarily to know how - we help mums follow this instinct and understand baby calming.

Each class follows a very similar format, because at a time when everything else is changing, leaving mum feeling all at sea, this familiarity and routine is a real source of comfort (along with the wonderful peer to peer support in class of course).  Mums love that they come into class each week and know the structure and can simply relax and enjoy, focusing on how their baby is changing (rather than having to keep up with an ever changing clas programme). 

Each week mummy and baby enjoy:

• Meet & Greet to the Daisy Lullaby – a chance for mums and babies to welcome each other, enjoy some gentle movement & celebrate that class is beginning.  Mummies love our Daisy Bells welcome and the physical benefits it brings too!
• Wind Chimes Wake Up – As the gentle lull of chimes floats through the air, mummies & babies work with naming exercises, routines to help embrace sleep or lack of it and a beautiful Happy Sun routine, reminiscent of the much loved ‘Pregnant& Proud’ Daisy Birthing exercise.
• Lullaby Soft Stretch– A more traditional oily massage or baby soft stretch segment, peppered with use of sound and sonic vibration;  whilst this calls for baby to begin to adjust to time lying independent from mummy's arms, we use lots of visual engagement and frequent 'in arms' refrains, to ensure mummy and baby feel ok!
• Social Baby Time – As the happy gurgle of babies is heard in the background, mummies and babies know its social baby time.  They all love the chance to get up, get moving and get to know each other.  Yummy Mummies is a much loved sequence!
• From babbling babies to babbling brooks – A water inspired segment which allows mummies to reverse the waves of labour, with gentle abdominal closing and introduces movements to aid babies’ sense of gravity and balance.
• White noise and relaxation – A wonderful wind down segment;  the white noise calms baby and with the re-introduction of the hypnotic Daisy Birthing music Silver Lake, both mum & baby relax into familiar surroundings.

 

Daisy Birthing classes are now available with a number of Lazy Daisy Birth mentors and cost just £9 per week.   Use the SEARCH FOR A CLASS option on our site, to find a teacher near you.

If you are a mum or a birthing/baby professional who feels inspired by this class programme, why not join our November 2011 training (with packages including exclusive license costing just £750).

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