Just a few weeks ago I was proudly watching my SECOND baby boy start to take his first adorable wobbly steps across the room…

And it really was a pivotal point for me. I want to help families get their babies to this EXACT point; taking their first wobbly independent steps….. So it was time.

I have been on the cusp of clicking a button and introducing My Strong Little Body to the world for months now. But I just hadn’t been able to bring myself to do it yet until Sunday.

Because I was packing it (Let’s be honest. Still am).

As you know, I am a physiotherapist. And by nature I think most physios are inclined to be perfectionists in one way or another (great for our patients, not so great for our husbands). And here was the issue with me launching my very exciting and much loved project for the numbers to cast their eyes on: I am not very good at wearing my heart on my sleeve when it comes to things like this, and unfortunately for my heart I have thrown both it and my soul into this book.

So eeeeek.

Why do this to my little heart then? Welllllllll…….I want to help people.

Mums worry. A lot. It’s usually not the type of worry that will make them seek a doctor’s advice (parents who are that worried should definitely do just that). But it is the type of worry that makes a Mum sit back quietly in her mother’s group for a moment and think ‘why isn’t my baby doing that yet?’ and then go home and sit on Dr Google for 2 hours. I know you do it too. It’s human nature. It might be why you are here visiting me.

To be perfectly honest, I did it. I was comparing my first baby to the others in my mumma’s group when he wasn’t sitting as well as the rest of them. I even started to do some physio with him at home, even though I had sworn I wouldn’t be that physio-mum who was pushing her baby.

And guys, I am a paediatric physio, and I was STILL worried about him reaching his milestones.

I think it’s just a given when you become a Mum. Nobody really explains that to you when you are pregnant.

We were introduced to Fraser in February 2015 and in a haze of heart-wrenching love and with a foggy brain I fumbled my way through the first few months of motherhood. I was the ultimate new mum guys. It’s embarrassing. I am quite sure I made my bestie sick. She has 4 beautiful babies now. She is an incredible mum and my idol. She is not a fan of mother’s groups.

I rocked mumma’s group (two actually). And I was loving life with my take away coffee, my top-knot, and my pram-walks in my printed mum-pants. I was a walking cliché and completely head over heels for this new motherhood thang. Career? What career? I am a Mum now people, this is my career!

So in love…. and so dang worried about god damn everything…..

But GOD I worried about him all the time. I had the ‘Wonder Weeks’ app on high rotation. I Googled my little head off 100 times a day with every quirk of mum-hood: (how many BF per day is normal? How do I make my baby self settle? How do I get my baby to take a bottle? PLEASE GOD how do I get my baby to take a bottle?)

I worried about him getting enough breast-milk. About the long-term damage of him crying for too long. About the white bread that I had to give him for the first time because I ran out of the freakin organic-freerange-spelt-wholegrain-9-seed bread that someone said I should give him. I started to worry about schoolies (holy SHIT). About him getting his P’s. About him dying in general (I had problems).

I was one of those mums who still had the breathing pads under her child’s mattress at the age of 18 months. Yup…. Things got a little out of hand.

But the thing is, I don’t think anyone really knew how worried I was……(or maybe they did and were just polite enough not to say anything). I don’t think my husband even knew the half of it. I am a talker for sure…..but there are some things I internalise. I would try my hardest to maintain a relaxed and happy demeanour, joking about my ‘tricky’ baby amongst friends. And then spend 3 hours overnight googling and making lists so I could feel in control of my life again.

Healthy.

Things changed a lot as he got older I am happy to say. He got easier. I started being okay with giving him baked beans for dinner sometimes. And sure……our second baby Alfie is left to fend for himself pretty much all day and I don’t actually know where he is half the time (it’s why he often ends up inside the front loader)….But me as a first-time Mum? Yeah I think I can safely say I was really anxious.

(If you ever read this Alfie…..I do love you very much. You just really loved the washing machine).

So yes. We all worry. Some more than others.

I want to empower the worrying parents out there. Knowledge is power, isn’t that what they say?

For the most part, my blog and ebook are about giving an insight into baby’s development and reassuring parents that usually there is absolutely no need to worry at all! Babies are hardwired for movement and most will get there eventually.

But there definitely are some little babes out there who need a bit of a ‘nudge’. This is wear I step in.

Some babies despise tummy time and mum is desperate for more tips. Some have low muscle tone and need some help engaging certain muscles before being able to sit, crawl or stand. Some have diagnosed medical issues effecting their development, and some babies have delayed milestones for unknown reasons.

If you are really concerned, you should always seek the advice of a health professional. But the book is a good start.

So guys, thank you for sticking around through this giant launch process and I hope we can get to know each other a little more over time. Feel free to get in touch through my website here, or through Facebook or Insta whenever you’re in the mood.

I love a chat and it feels nice to get to know who I am talking to here through my computer screen!

See you next time!

Love Alana xx

Second child is slighty more free range……

Can you at least throw a load on for me please Alfie?

Me As A First-Time Mum