Wednesday 6 April 2011

These Boots are Made for Walking

Joseph is now 23 months. His 2nd birthday is looming. Although really he shouldn't be two until August. It still does my head in, but I find myself still correcting his age, developmentally its only fair, I think.

At our last consultant appointment before going to Australia, I was in tears. The consultant decided Joseph had tight achilles tendons, and this was the reason for him not walking. I was devastated. I was upset because I felt it was my job to know these things, I shouldn't have put his not walking down to developmental slowness and genetics (dear reader, I didn't walk til two and a half and I was a boring termie).

The consultant said he would need Piedro boots, and perhaps intensive exercises. I felt so negligent, and hence my floods of tears. I was inconsolable.

All my friends, premmie and termie, thought that Joseph, and quite rightly too, would do it in his own time, and that I was over reacting. Which I was.

In Australia we saw a physio, at my own expense, who spent an hour with us. She diagnosed Joseph as clever, funny, and too busy to bother with walking which is obviously a bit problematic and hence, not on his agenda, in the too hard basket. She didn't feel that he had tight achilles, or any major problem, and would walk in his own time.

Since the consultant appointment, 8 weeks have passed. Joseph is doing the odd step here and there. My mother's day present was the amazing feat of 10 steps across the kitchen floor. It was such a suprise, I didn't record it.

We saw an NHS physiotherapist today, who was equally as lovely as my Tasmanian one. She thinks Joseph, if anything, is too loose in his ankles, knees and hips, not too tight, but needs no action, just to keep developing as he is doing. She has referred to orthotics, just in case, but thinks by the time our next appointment comes around, he should be making great progress.

I feel so relieved that I am not a bad mother (well not in this respect anyway) and that I hadn't missed anything glaringly obvious. Joseph is just slow to walk, and he will get there in his own time.

1 comment:

  1. It's too easy to think we should pick these things up isn't it? I felt like the worst mother in the world for not realising that Babyzoid had 2 naff glue ears, thinking she was merely defiant!

    You don't need to be hard on yourself, and it's great that Joseph has been taking steps. These premies are pretty strong-willed you know. They'll do things their way or not at all!!! :D x

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