Night crying is common in newborns, referring to frequent crying and restlessness at night, or crying at a fixed time every night, or even crying all night without sleep, while being normal during the day. Massage therapy can calm the spirit and regulate the stomach and clear the heat in children with night crying. Let's take a look at the graphic demonstration of massage techniques for night crying in children.
Pediatric Night Crying with Spleen Cold Type Massage
Etiology: Insufficient congenital endowment, spleen deficiency with cold, or abdominal exposure to cold, cold invading the spleen, night coldness, cold pathogens stagnate, obstructing the flow of qi, leading to abdominal pain and crying.
Main symptoms: Low crying sound, prefers sleeping prone, likes abdominal massage, limbs are not warm enough, poor appetite and loose stools, clear and long urine, pale complexion, pale red lips and tongue, thin white coating, thin and deep pulse, pale fingerprints.
Treatment principle: Warm the stomach and invigorate the spleen, nourish the heart and calm the spirit.
Massage prescription: Tonify the spleen meridian, massage three gates, rub the abdomen, knead the middle epigastric region, knead Xiaotianxin, knead Baihui, knead Waigong.
Massage explanation: Tonify the spleen meridian, massage three gates, rub the abdomen, knead the middle epigastric region to warm the stomach and invigorate the spleen; knead the navel, knead Waigong to warm the stomach and dispel cold, relieve abdominal pain; knead Xiaotianxin, knead Baihui to nourish the heart and calm the spirit.
Pediatric Night Crying with Heart Heat Type Massage
Etiology: Pregnant women have hidden fire and heat stagnation, which affects the fetus. After birth, there is prenatal heat, which leads to accumulation of heat in the heart meridian, excessive heart fire, causing restlessness and crying.
Main symptoms: Loud crying sound, prefers sleeping supine, restless and irritable, cries even louder when seeing lights, constipation and red urine, red face and lips, red tip of the tongue, yellow coating, rapid and forceful pulse, purple fingerprints.
Treatment principle: Clear the heart and reduce fire, calm the mind and soothe the spirit.
Massage prescription: Clear the heart meridian, clear the liver meridian, pinch and rub Xiaotianxin, clear the Tianhe water, pinch the five finger joints.
Massage explanation: Clear the heart meridian, pinch and rub Xiaotianxin, clear the Tianhe water to clear the heart and reduce restlessness; clear the liver meridian, pinch the five finger joints to clear heat, calm the spirit and relieve irritability.
Pediatric Night Crying with Fear Type Massage
Etiology: Insufficient qi and weak spirit in children, sudden shock and fear, disturbed spirit, restless heart and mind, often crying and sleepless at night.
Main symptoms: Alertness and vigilance during sleep, sudden crying and appearing fearful, clinging to mother's embrace, pale or bluish-white complexion, normal tongue coating, rapid and frequent pulse at night.
Treatment principle: Calm and soothe the mind.
Massage prescription: Clear the liver meridian, clear the heart meridian, pinch and rub Xiaotianxin, pinch the five finger joints, clear the spleen meridian, clear the Tianhe water.
Massage explanation: Clear the liver meridian, clear the heart meridian, clear the Tianhe water to clear the heart and reduce restlessness; pinch and rub Xiaotianxin, pinch the five finger joints to calm and soothe the mind.
Massage Techniques for Pediatric Night Crying
Tonify the spleen meridian: The spleen meridian, also known as the spleen earth, is located from the tip to the root of the thumb on the radial side, slightly flex the thumb, and push from the tip to the root of the thumb to tonify the spleen meridian, about 100-500 times.
Massage three gates: The three gates are located on the radial side of the forearm, forming a straight line from the wrist flexion crease to the elbow crease. Use the fingertips of the index and middle fingers to push from the wrist flexion crease to the elbow crease, or use the radial side of the thumb to push, called massage three gates, about 100-300 times.
Rub the abdomen: Use the palm or four fingers to rub the abdomen in a clockwise direction (or counterclockwise direction), rub about 200 times, about 5 minutes.
Knead the middle epigastric region: The middle epigastric region is located 4 inches above the navel. Knead with the fingertips or the base of the palm, about 100-300 times.
Knead Xiaotianxin: Xiaotianxin is located in the depression at the junction of the big and small fish, knead with the fingertip of the middle finger, about 100-300 times.
Knead Baihui: Baihui is located on the top of the head, straight up from the anterior hairline, about an inch. Press or knead with the thumb, about 100-300 times.
Knead Waigong: Waigong is located on the back of the hand, opposite to the inner palace. Knead with the fingertip of the middle finger, called knead Waigong, about 100-300 times.
Clear the heart meridian: The heart meridian is located on the spiral surface of the distal phalanx of the middle finger, pushing directly from the root to the tip of the middle finger is clearing the heart meridian, about 100-500 times.
Clear the liver meridian: The liver meridian is located on the spiral surface of the distal phalanx of the index finger, pushing directly from the root to the tip of the index finger is clearing the liver meridian, about 100-500 times.
Clear the Tianhe water: The Tianhe water is located in the middle of the forearm, from the summing meridian to the Hongchi (Quze) in a straight line. Use the fingertips of the index and middle fingers to push from the wrist to the elbow, called clearing the Tianhe water, about 100-300 times.
Pinch the five finger joints: The five finger joints are the first interphalangeal joint of the dorsal hand. Pinch with the thumbnail is called pinch the five finger joints, pinch 3-5 times; rub with the thumb and index finger is called rub the five finger joints, rub about 30-50 times.
Nursing Considerations for Pediatric Night Crying
1. Keep the environment quiet where the child is located to avoid startling the child.
2. For spleen cold type, pay attention to keeping warm; for heart heat type, do not overheat.
