On 8th February 2017 (Wednesday), Inala Community House’s Community Settlement Service staff Seble Tadesse and team were excited to launch our new Mother-to-Baby Massage Group to promote the well-being of mothers and babies of pre-crawling age, especially from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
NEW Mother-to-Baby Massage Group
Date: Every Wednesday
Time: 10-11.30am
Venue: Inala Community House (35 Sittella Street, Inala QLD)
This free 5-week program in partnership with Queensland Mental Health Commission (https://www.qmhc.qld.gov.au) and Communify QLD (http://www.communify.org.au). Our primary aim is to educate women on how to massage, communicate and bond with their children while reducing social isolation.
Say ‘Hello’ to Linda Rylands – one of our Group facilitators!
Linda Rylands is the founder of diversity OT (http://www.diversityot.com.au | https://www.facebook.com/diversityot). Linda has over 10 years of experience in mental health as an occupational therapist, and has more recently gained qualifications as an anthropologist and Okido yoga teacher.
“I am really excited to be part of this new Mother-to-Baby Massage Group which can offer an opportunity for learning new skills and confidence by bringing together women from diverse cultural backgrounds living in the Inala area,” said our Group Facilitator Linda Rylands.
Meet our other Group Facilitator – Shameera Osman!
Shameera is the founder of Sweetpea Infant Massage (https://www.facebook.com/sweetpeainfantmassage). With her background in occupational therapy, Shameera now works as a qualified infant massage instructor certified by Baby in Mind.
“I feel really privileged to be involved with this group. It offers a supportive, relaxed and friendly environment to learn cue-based infant massage that has many benefits for mother, baby, families and communities in general,” said our Group Facilitator Shameera.
Throughout the one-hour Group session, both our Facilitators – Linda and Shameera – took turns in providing step-by-step instructions, explanations and helpful advices regarding infant massage. Our participants were also actively encouraged to ask questions, discuss and provide feedback regarding individual concerns.
“Keep practising and try to incorporate infant massage into your daily routine. Don’t be afraid to explore and find out what works best for you and your baby. Research has shown that infant massage has various key benefits in terms of your child’s health, development and bonding in the long run,” said our Group Facilitator Linda Rylands.
“I am 40-week pregnant and will be having my first baby. I have no experience in child care and am keen to attend this weekly Group in order to learn how to better communicate and care for my baby,” said 20-year-old Shaima Azizi from Afghanistan. After arriving in Australia, Shaima actively learned English from TAFE and looks forward in being a stay-at-home mom.
The Group session concluded with a complimentary morning tea for all.
If you are an existing or expecting mom, we welcome you to join us! For more information, please contact Seble (07) 3372 1711 | info@ich.org.au.