Milestones

I never thought I would be so obsessed with this one word; 'Milestones'. While pregnant and since Toby was born I have been worried about his development. Worried about a disability, particularly Autism since it is in my family. Since Toby was born I have been obsessed by these milestones, the skills the medical fraternity expects your child to be doing at each age. Every time Toby turns another month older, I check what he should be doing tick off the list. He has been pretty good, he has met most of the milestones.

He is due for his 8 month check up soon so I had a look in my green medical records folder to see what he should be doing and I read this: "speak to the maternal health nurse if your baby is not yet rolling over" Ok, I started stressing, Toby hasn't really been rolling over, eeeek! Another milestone he hasn't quite reached is the babbling and saying mummm mummm mummm and dadda dad dada. I have seen other babies his age doing this but not my boy.

Over the past couple of weeks these two factors have been playing on my mind. I really wasn't prepared for the constant worry and concern you have when you have a child! To try and help Toby along I put him on his tummy a lot more and I am constantly saying "mum mum mum dad dad dad" to him. As of yesterday he has been rolling, I can't keep him on his tummy any more and he has rolled from back to tummy a couple of times when I wasn't looking. He doesn't really like it on his tummy so I understand why he doesn't roll that way much. Then today, I heard the sweetest sound coming from Toby, he was saying dad dad dad. I would have preferred it to be mum mum but hey, I'll take it! Here a video taken while we were out today:

He was very tired, hence the whinging!

Now I don't know if he has suddenly started reaching these milestones because of what I have done, or if he was just ready. The professionals have their checklist of what babies should be doing but they don't take the individual personalities into consideration. Toby is quiet, he is not a loud baby or one that babbles all day, so maybe he will be a bit slower in reaching these talking milestones. Toby is a big baby and honestly, he can't be bothered doing anything he doesn't have to (just like his daddy!) so maybe thats why he is late in rolling.

I know the maternal health nurses serve a great purpose and I appreciate that they have to tell us the hard stuff at times (like when Toby wasn't gaining enough weight!). I don't really know where the line is between being told your child is behind and telling the mum that all babies are different and he/she will reach these milestones when they are ready, it's a tough one. I just wish they wouldn't freak new mums out so much. I know many of my friends have been unnecessarily worried about their baby because of a maternal health nurse.

So to all the mums out there worried about milestones, I hear ya! I hope all our babies get there when they are good and ready and not when the green book says they should be!!