KPJ Healthcare Berhad

IN COLLABORATION with KPJ Healthcare Berhad, baby care brand Johnson's has launched its annual 'Touch' infant massage workshop that aims to educate parents on the massage techniques.

The workshop will be conducted across the cities in Malaysia promoting the importance of massage for babies that will enhance their physical and emotional development.

"Next to nutrition or mother’s milk, a mother’s touch has probably the most powerful effect on her baby. Touch is a physical expression of love and with proper massage technique, it has been proven to benefit their physical and emotional development," said Johnson & Johnson marketing director Stanford Guo at the launch with the appearance of celebrity mom Erra Fazira.

Guo added in a 1915 survey in orphanages in the United States, death rate of infants under one suffering from marasmus was near to 100% due to lack of handling.

On the contrary, it was observed in New York’s Bellevue hospital in 1938 the mortality rate of infected babies under one year reduced from 30 to less than 10% when nurses performed a daily routine of handling and stroking babies.

"These studies have confirmed the importance of the touch experience in newborns and infants", he said.

Paediatrician and paediatric cardiologist Datuk Dr. Zulkifli Ismail stressed on the benefits of infant massage towards both mother and baby.

Erra believed a mother’s touch could bring changes that benefits the infants to develop in positive ways.

"My daughter become more active and has fewer waking episodes during night since I started to massage her with the proper technique taught by Dr. Zulkifli".

"Our bond also became stronger during the massage moments".

"I am happy to see Malaysian mothers have become more open and accept infant massage for their babies’ development", she said.

Each workshop will have a massage demonstration by a qualified trainer.

To make infant massage a more meaningful and regular activity between parents and babies, the company has commissioned the production of a song called 'Touch’ which is available in a CD and to be given out to participating parents.