About Me
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Thanks so much for visiting my site and taking the time to find out a bit more.
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I'm Sarah, and I live in North London on the borders of Stroud Green and Crouch End with my partner and 3 children.
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I have been teaching baby massage courses in Crouch End and Tottenham since 2017, when I completed level 5 training with the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). The baby massage courses I took with my own children gave me lots of confidence in handling, soothing and comforting them, and really strengthened the bond between us – the older ones still enjoy massage as they approach tween-age. As the parent of a baby born just before the first national lockdown, I appreciate the importance of parents having the opportunity to share experiences with others at a similar stage in life, as well as to spend some uninterrupted quality time with their baby.
Photograph by Melissa Gray-Peters
I find my work with parents and babies stimulating and heart-warming. It is a privilege to see the babies develop from week to week, sometimes rolling for the first time in a session, or interacting with another baby in a way their carer hasn't seen before. When a parent hears from another that they are not alone in their worries, is helped by another to think around a difficulty, or reveals that using massage techniques has made a palpable difference to their week, I am delighted that the classes can have such a positive effect.
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I have previously worked as a volunteer Breastfeeding Network (BfN) peer supporter at the Whittington Hospital (2016-2024), and as an NCT antenatal teacher (2015-2020), for which I hold a Cert HE Birth and Beyond from the University of Worcester. My other qualifications are a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from City & Guilds of London Art School and a BA (Hons) in Modern History & French from Merton College, Oxford.
I am a founding member of the Birth & Beyond Collective, a group of NCT-trained yoga for pregnancy, parent & baby yoga, and baby massage teachers. We practice across the UK, and are highly passionate and committed to delivering high quality classes for pregnant women and new mums and babies.
Please click the logo to find out more.
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My baby massage is based on NCT training, but I work and am insured as an independent practitioner.
Photograph by Melissa Gray-Peters
What are the benefits of Baby Massage?
Recent research has found that parents learning baby massage feel their babies experience healthier growth and development, improved sleep, relief of stress and promotion of relaxation; that baby massage improves the development of babies with Down syndrome; and that giving a baby a hug during painful procedures reduces pain.
Learning baby massage techniques has been shown to support parent-infant bonding, help mitigate the effects of postnatal depression, support mothers struggling with the transition to motherhood, and help both mothers and fathers respond to baby cues, care for their babies, and gain support from their spouse and other parents.
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Parents on my courses talk about valuing:
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one to one time, bonding with their baby and getting to know what their baby likes
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seeing their baby enjoy being with other babies and smiling during massage
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developing resilience as first-time parents and confidence to enjoy time with their baby
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learning the massage techniques and songs as a new skill to use at home​
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exploring topics that are really useful
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the opportunity to connect with other parents and share experiences in a way that makes them feel they’re not alone
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looking forward each week to spending time in a relaxing, supportive environment
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What is Story Massage?
Story Massage combines the creativity of story, song and rhyme with the benefits of positive touch. Each week we'll read a story interspersed with songs, using 10 simple massage strokes, over clothes, to match and enrich our words. Story Massage is appropriate for people of any age, but sessions currently running are aimed at preschool children and their carers, including babies. Skills learnt in the sessions can be used with anyone we know who would benefit from positive touch, whether other children in the family, relatives for whom we care, our partners, friends, or for ourselves as self-massage.
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I carried out my training with the creators of Story Massage.
I am an accredited Story Massage Instructor.