Mt Hawthorn Chiropractic

Mt Hawthorn Chiropractic "Specifically Different"
We allow your body to reduce chaos, restore balance & regain control thereby Gonstead Chiropractors - Specifically Different

15/06/2026

🚨 Primitive reflexes are NOT diagnoses.

This is one of the biggest myths I hear online.

A retained reflex doesn’t automatically mean your child has a condition.
Just like a fever doesn’t tell you why someone is sick.

Primitive reflexes are information.
They’re clues.
They’re signs that help us understand how a child’s nervous system is developing, adapting and responding to the world around them.

The problem is when reflexes get treated like labels.

“Your child has retained reflexes, so that’s the problem.”

Not necessarily.

The better question is:

👉 What is this reflex telling us?

Because reflexes don’t exist in isolation.

They need to be considered alongside movement, posture, coordination, sensory processing, regulation, development, birth history and the child’s overall neurological function.

The reflex isn’t the diagnosis.
It’s part of the story.
And when you understand the story, you stop chasing labels and start understanding your child.

That’s where the real value is.
Not in finding something to blame.
But in finding something that makes sense.

DM me DECODER if you want a guide as to what primitive reflexes and more really mean to your child’s developmental story.

12/06/2026

“His head control is fine…”

Says who? Google? Your mother-in-law? The tummy time chart on Instagram? 😏

One of the things I’m assessing during a pull-to-sit test is how your baby’s nervous system is organising head and neck control.

Because head control isn’t just about a strong neck.

It’s about coordination.
It’s about development.
It’s about whether the brain and body are talking to each other the way we would expect for that age.

And here’s the part “milestone charts” don’t tell you…

Sometimes the reason a baby dislikes tummy time, struggles with head control, or seems “floppy” or “stiff” is because there’s something underneath the behaviour that needs to be understood first.

If you’ve ever caught yourself wondering:

👉 “Should my baby have better head control by now?”
👉 “Why do they hate tummy time so much?”
👉 “Is this normal or am I overthinking it?”

You’re asking exactly the right questions.

Just don’t let Google answer them.

Drop your baby’s age below (or send me a DM) and tell me your biggest tummy time or head control query, question, concern or worry👇

31/05/2026

31 days.

31 conversations I wish more parents were having.

Because the most important things I see in practice every day aren’t found on milestone charts.

They’re found in the worries mums whisper at the end of appointments.

“Something just feels off.”
“Everyone tells me not to worry.”
“Am I imagining it?”

You’re not.
Your instincts matter.
And if this month has shown you anything, I hope it’s that there’s always more to the story than “wait and see.”

Thank you for coming along for the ride.

DM me DECODER if you’d like the guide that’s helped thousands of parents understand development differently.

Trust your instincts. Look deeper. The nervous system matters.

30/05/2026

“What milestones should my baby be hitting?”

It’s one of the most common questions I get.

But here’s the thing…

A milestone chart can tell you what your baby is doing.
It can’t tell you how they’re doing it.
And that matters.

Because two babies can roll, sit or crawl at exactly the same age, yet have completely different nervous system function underneath those milestones.

I’m far more interested in the quality of movement, posture, symmetry, muscle tone, reflex integration and nervous system regulation than whether a box on a chart has been ticked.

Milestones are important.
But they are the outcome.

The nervous system is the foundation.

If your baby is under 12 months, don’t just ask, “Are they hitting their milestones?”

Ask, “How is their nervous system supporting them to get there?”

That’s where the really interesting conversations begin.

DM “DECODER” to get the Baby Milestone Decoder - the cheat guide to baby development

29/05/2026

The most important question I ask isn’t about milestones, feeding or sleep.

It’s this:

“What worries, questions or concerns would you like answered today?”

Because mums know when something feels different.

Maybe you can’t explain it.
Maybe you’ve been told it’s normal.
Maybe you’ve been reassured but still don’t feel reassured.

Your instincts deserve investigation.

That’s why I always ask about three things:

➡️ Your pregnancy.
➡️ Your birth.
➡️ Your concerns.

Because your baby’s story didn’t start today.

And here’s the thing I wish more parents were told:

You don’t need proof before asking questions.
You don’t need permission before seeking answers.
Trust your instincts.

Then find someone willing to investigate them with you, not dismiss them.

Being heard is often the first step towards helping your bub.

Send me a DM with “DECODER” to get my Baby Milestone Decoder - the cheat code to answering those questions about baby development.

commonisnotnormal

28/05/2026

“Regulate your nervous system.”

Currently the most overused sentence in parenting.
And ironically… many people preaching & teaching it don’t actually understand how a nervous system works.

Here’s the thing no one explains properly:

Your child’s nervous system is constantly balancing between two states.

⚡️ Sympathetic = alert, protective, survival mode
🌿 Parasympathetic = rest, digest, connect, recover

Neither is “bad”.
Your baby NEEDS both.

The issue is when a child gets stuck spending too much time in one gear.

A baby living in sympathetic dominance may look like:
– constantly unsettled
– difficult to soothe
– shallow sleep
– tension through the body
– feeding challenges
– easily startled
– always “on”

Not because they’re naughty.
But because their nervous system is working overtime trying to interpret the world around them.

And this matters because development happens best from a nervous system that feels safe enough to organise, connect and grow.

This is why I laugh a little when nervous system regulation gets presented like a trendy parenting hack.

Chiropractic has always been about this.

Long before Instagram discovered “co-regulation”.

Because the spine, brain and nervous system are not separate conversations. They are the conversation.

A well functioning nervous system doesn’t create a “perfect” child.
But it does give a child better capacity to adapt to stress, process the world around them and develop with less resistance.

And for parents reading this thinking:
“Yep… this sounds exactly like my child.”

Good.
That awareness matters more than panic ever will.

You haven’t missed anything.
You’re just finally being taught to look at behaviour through the lens of the nervous system instead of blame, labels or comparison.

27/05/2026

“I don’t want to fix your baby…
I want your baby to not need fixing in the first place.”

That’s the entire point.

Not waiting until feeding is a disaster.
Not waiting until milestones are missed.
Not waiting until everyone is exhausted, overwhelmed and being told to “give it time”.

Babies compensate brilliantly.
Until they can’t.

And parents are expected to somehow know what’s normal, what matters and when to act…with almost no real education around nervous system development.

That’s why I’ve busted my backside putting content out, not just every day this month, but consistently over the past 12 months.

Because if parents understood what they were looking at earlier, so many babies would get support long before things became harder than they needed to be.

Less panic.
Less “wait and see”.
Less fixing later.

Better function from the start.

That’s the mission.

If you want to get ahead of the curve in understanding your baby’s development, send me a DM with “DECODER” to get my Baby Milestone Decoder.

25/05/2026

“What does getting better actually look like?”

Not always the big movie moment.
Not always sleeping 12 hours, feeding perfectly or suddenly hitting every milestone overnight.

Sometimes it looks like:

Less arching.
A softer cry.
Turning their head both ways for the first time in weeks.
One better nap.
One calmer car ride.
A baby who finally feels easier to settle in your arms.

And exhausted parents who realise…
“hang on, something is changing.”

This is the part nobody explains well enough.
The nervous system rarely changes in giant leaps. It changes in layers.

Small moments.
Small wins.
Small shifts that slowly become a different baseline.

So if progress feels subtle right now, that does not mean it isn’t real.

You haven’t missed it.
You’re probably living inside it.

And for the parents in the thick of it — tracking feeds, naps, crying, tension, milestones and wondering if any of this is working…

I see you.

Sometimes the most important improvements are the ones that don’t look dramatic to the outside world… but completely change life inside your home.

DM me with “DECODER” to understand the important steps of baby development.

23/05/2026

Before I assess your baby… I’m already assessing your baby.

Not for problems.
For patterns.

How they rest.
How they move.
Which way they prefer to look.
How they feed.
How their nervous system responds to the world around them.

And honestly?
I’m watching mum and dad too. Because babies don’t exist separately from the nervous systems raising them.

The best assessments rarely start with “what’s wrong?”
They start with “what is this baby trying to tell us?”

Want to understand your baby’s development without all the hype and hysteria - send me a DM with “DECODE” for a copy if my Baby Milestone Decoder

22/05/2026

“Every time I put them down, they wake straight back up…”
And suddenly you’re trapped under a sleeping baby wondering if you created a habit you’ll never escape.

Here’s the part nobody explains properly…
Your baby isn’t manipulating you.
They’re regulating through you.

Your heartbeat, breathing, warmth, smell, movement — that’s familiar territory for an immature nervous system trying to feel safe enough to rest.

But…
A strategy that works short term isn’t always a strategy that works forever.

That’s not guilt.
That’s understanding.

Sometimes the goal isn’t to stop the contact naps.
Sometimes the goal is to ask why your baby struggles without them in the first place.

And if all you can do right now is hold your baby so everyone gets some sleep?
That’s not failure.
That’s a mum meeting her baby where their nervous system is at.

Honestly, that matters more than perfection ever will.

Send me a DM with the word “DECODER” to get the perfect breakdown of baby development in the Baby Milestone Decoder.

Address

110 Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn
Perth, WA
6016

Opening Hours

Tuesday 7:30am - 12pm
2:30pm - 6pm
Wednesday 2:30pm - 6pm
Thursday 7:30am - 12pm
2:30pm - 6pm
Friday 7:30am - 12pm
Saturday 7am - 10:30am

Telephone

+61894449466

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mt Hawthorn Chiropractic posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Mt Hawthorn Chiropractic:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category