Growing Bones

Fortunately many health professionals are moving away from the advice ‘don’t worry about that flat spot, it will resolve on its own’…

The most important time to prevent or resolve plagiocephaly / bracycephaly / flat head syndrome is between 0-8 weeks old.

Learn more about this window of opportunity in our video ‘The BEST TIME to Influence a Baby’s Head Shape’ (link in bio) or here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRub-1RxfSY&t=26s

Scoliosis is a progressive, lateral curvature of the spine. When viewed from the side, the spine should have curves. However when viewed from the back, the spine should be straight.

Scoliosis can affect people of all ages, from infants and children, to adolescents and adults. It’s commonly detected during periods of rapid spinal growth in a child’s life. This is usually between the age of 10 and 16 years of age. However, infants and children can also be affected.

It’s always good for kids to check in with an osteopath from time to time. The ‘growing years’ provide a window of opportunity where improved function can also influence body structure, for example airway size, postural balance, head shape, facial growth, body symmetry.

But if you can’t get to the osteopath right now, check out ScoliScreen, it is a free web-based screening tool for the signs of scoliosis. It has been created for educational purposes by and its aim is to promote scoliosis awareness and the importance of early detection and treatment.

Link to ScoliScreen is in our latest newsletter (link in bio) or here: https://email.growingbones.com.au/t/j-F933F94C77709A782540EF23F30FEDED

Grab some lemons on your way out this week … we have an abundance thanks to Melissa’s Dad’s tree- yeah!

Use some to make the divine lemon cake featured in our latest newsletter (link in bio) or here: https://email.growingbones.com.au/t/j-F933F94C77709A782540EF23F30FEDED

Amanda is a dedicated physiotherapist with a passion for pelvic health and rehabilitation... joining the team which means shorter wait times for you to receive pelvic floor care.

Outside of her professional pursuits, Amanda finds joy in the simple pleasures of life. She enjoys reading, ocean swimming, and even braving the waves to surf on occasion. She cherishes time spent with her two lively children, alongside her beloved labrador and cat. Amanda’s commitment to holistic health and compassionate patient care shines through in every aspect of her life and practice.

You can book online to see our physiotherapists (link in bio) or here:
https://www.growingbones.com.au/online-booking/

It’s a bittersweet time for us , as Paris our very much loved Osteo is setting out on her next adventure in Wangaratta!

Paris has been with us for almost 6 years, and I’m sure everyone who has seen her will agree- she has such a calming and empathetic approach to helping you feel better.

Swipe to see her new treatment room set up in Wangaratta- so nice! (Paris also is great with room aesthetics!)

In Wangaratta, Paris is looking forward to a more quiet and down-to-earth pace of life, and being closer to her family.

Lucky for us we will still be stocking her family’s raw honey as a reminder of her sweetness!
If you love Paris and are in a panic about who to see instead, you can email her [email protected] until the end of July and she will happily recommend a practitioner to take over your care.

Her last day is this Thursday the 27th of June and she is currently fully booked, but you are welcome to pop in and say bye 🥲

From all of us in your Growing Bones family, we wish you the best of luck Paris!!!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

We are so happy for our beautiful osteopath Brittany who is now on leave pending the arrival of her first baby! Eeek!! So exciting!

But no rest until she offered to help update our pregnancy exercise videos… and we discovered a 500gm jar of honey is the PERFECT weight and size for wrist strengthening BEFORE baby arrives!

Second photo… two osteo’s trying to work out video technology… we are much better at getting bodies working! 😂

Here’s our dream team, Rebecca and Carolynne!

I think everyone who has visited the clinic would agree, you are always warmly welcomed by these two ladies.
They keep all our practitioners organised, will go out of their way to fit you in when you really need it, and keep the clinic well stocked and beautifully presented.

So much love ❤️

And now they have a new comfy chair- yay!


PS. They are also excellent at holding babies and keeping prams moving while you get a treatment!

Did you know that .au offers a FREE breastfeeding drop in session every week (Monday or Thursday)?

Aaaaannd on the 3rd Monday of every month our osteo Melissa is there too?!

Sarah is running these drop ins. She offers practical, warm and supportive care, helping you navigate challenges and learn with your baby.

Melissa works with Sarah to identify any physical restrictions or barriers that may preventing your baby feeding well- for example, a tight neck, preference to look one way, lack of tongue movement, low muscle tone… just to name a few.

Although there is not space and time for osteo treatment, Melissa is happy to share helpful positions and exercises you can do with your baby at home to support feeding, comfort and learning.

Hope to see you there Mama’s! You need a Village :)
au

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mums!

What a privilege it is to nurture little humans in this world. We hope you all had a wonderful day x



Pic above, osteo Melissa with her first Son, 1 day old. So totally in love 😍

Who gets excited about feeding/changing ammenities when out of the house?!

👶🏻🙋🏽‍♀️

Some great info from our physio team
Appointments available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Call our reception team for more info 03 96873040, you can also book online (link in bio) or here: https://www.growingbones.com.au/online-booking/

We had a great time listening to Lactation Consultant Alicia talk through her approach to infant feeding assessment on Saturday….another LC who is a big fan of osteo for babies… yeah!

Alicia and her team provide gentle, helpful and realistic treatment plans to assist feeding.

It is SO helpful get A LOT of support in the early days of parenthood, especially if your baby is experiencing challenges… be it be breastfeeding, unsettledness or stiffness/preference to lie a certain way.

During pregnancy there is a lot of focus on birth, not a lot on what comes after it. Once your baby arrives, there is often some sort of challenge (=normal) but with that you get so many conflicting opinions…

Having a few key health providers that you feel comfortable with can help you navigate through those early challenges and come out the other side.

Of course you will see your GP, Paediatrician for any medical issues.… but for anything that is FUNCTIONALLY not going that well, seeing an LC and a paediatric osteopath can provide a lot of helpful strategies to settle both you, and your baby, into your new life together.

If you are thinking of bringing your baby to an osteopath, you are welcome to call our friendly reception team 03 96873040 with any questions. You can also request to speak to one of our paediatric osteopaths before making an appointment…. no worries!

Fitting it all in can be hard.

We offer weekend, before hours and after hours appointments to make it easier.

Before hours:
🍀Monday to Saturday first appointment: 8am

After hours:
🍀Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: last appointment for OSTEO : 7:30pm
🍀Monday last appointment for PHYSIO : 7:30pm
🍀Monday last appointment for Aromatherapy Massage : 8pm

Saturdays:
🍀Baby, child and adult Osteo appointments available EVERY Saturday
🍀Aromatherapy massage available once a month on Saturdays
🍀Nutrition consults available every second Saturday

Yeah! 🍀

How has osteo helped you?

🍀

We’ve already donated $100 to save a baby’s life in GAZA.
Apologies in advance for the above image if you are a new, hormonal filled, emotional parent- it is so sad.
We, as many Australian’s feel helpless, but something we can do is try and support those who can.
This week (April 15-21, 2024) we are putting aside $1 for every appointment at Growing Bones. So if you have been thinking to make a time to care for yourself, this week is a great week to do it. We will share with you on social media how much we donated.
If you would prefer to donate directly, the link is in our bio

We love our walk to the loo! The hallway is always covered in the most beautiful artwork by all the kids that visit our clinic…

Did you know our lovely reception team print out their colouring pic of choice!?!!?
We have the Matilda’s, Messi, Darth Vader, Octonauts to name a few…. What would your child choose?

Kids are always welcome to adult appointments… and can add their work of art to our hallway gallery!

Book online (link in bio) or here: https://www.growingbones.com.au/online-booking/

So nice to be learning with JULIA who has taken a break from working to spend more time with her family❤️

Melissa and Julia are enjoying a great course with Lisa DeStefano, DO (Doctor of Osteopathy). (Note: Osteopathic Physicians in the USA are medical doctors).
Lisa has 30 years experience in neuromusculoskeletal medicine within the hospital setting, and in private practice. And boy does she know her stuff!

Learning some very detailed treatment approaches to take back to practice 👶👶🏻👶🏼👶🏽👶🏾👶🏿

It’s Endometriosis Awareness Month ❤️

If you are living with endometriosis, there are some really valuable and FREE resources and events available.

We’ve added a link in our bio for Kayla’s endo friendly workout and the fertility symposium # # #

Did you know that .au offers a FREE breastfeeding drop in session every week (Monday or Thursday)?

Aaaaannd on the 3rd Monday of every month our osteo Melissa is there too?!

Sarah is running these drop ins. She offers practical, warm and supportive care, helping you navigate challenges and learn with your baby.

Melissa works with Sarah to identify any physical restrictions or barriers that may preventing your baby feeding well- for example, a tight neck, preference to look one way, lack of tongue movement, low muscle tone… just to name a few.

Although there is not space and time for osteo treatment, Melissa is happy to share helpful positions and exercises you can do with your baby at home to support feeding, comfort and learning.

Hope to see you there Mama’s! You need a Village :)
au

Another new face … WELCOME DAVID GOBBO :)

David is a passionate, resourceful and well rounded osteopath who aims to empower clients to achieve their health goals.
David has extensive experience in healthcare; from humble beginnings as a remedial massage therapist & myotherapist to beginning practice as an osteopath after completing his studies at Victoria University in 2018. He has even previously run his own small practice. After over a decade of working in healthcare, he has built a strong understanding of osteopathic principles.
David has extensive soft tissue expertise and uses a combination of hands on treatment, dry needling and cupping. David is extremely competent in direct osteopathic techniques including HVLA manipulation and incorporates a variety of rehabilitative exercises, drawn from a background in strength training, weightlifting and martial arts. He also may incorporate indirect techniques into sessions such as BLT and counter strain. David works with a variety of age groups, including children, adolescents, adults, athletes, pre and postnatal care and the elderly population.

David is available Wednesdays and Saturdays, book online (link in bio) or here:
https://www.growingbones.com.au/online-booking/

Too sad.

$100 is not much, but it’s something.

Caring and supporting new mothers and their babies is at the heart of what we do at Growing Bones, and I wish we could do the same for all the babies in the world- Melissa.

Note: We give monthly to multiple charities…. so know when you let us care for you, you are also caring for the world.

This woman is about as impressive as Tay-Tay to a paediatric osteo 😂

We’re always learning here at Growing Bones! Melissa and Ashleigh are currently immersed in best practice for supporting breastfeeding babies.
Osteopaths and Lactation consultants work so well together, and we are very happy to hear many of the lactation consultants in the room agree!

Catherine Watson Genna is like the Taylor Swift of supporting babies to feed better using gentle hands on techniques - exactly like we do

Can’t wait to get my booked signed tomorrow! - Melissa (osteo) biggest fan 🤩

@ http://www.cwgenna.com

We feel very lucky to have Jannah Stone joining our osteo team!

Jannah is available Mondays (always a great day for an appointment) and Thursdays.

Jannah graduated from Victoria University with a Bachelor of Science (Osteopathy) and a Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) in 2022.

Jannah’s passion for helping people feel at ease and empowered within their bodies first led her to spend a decade working extensively with private clients as a movement coach and personal trainer in Melbourne. A desire to develop a deeper understanding of the human body, and to be able to offer more in depth, hands on, and holistic services to people, led her to a career in osteopathy - which she absolutely loves!

Jannah’s approach as an osteopath is typified by compassion, care and common sense. By taking time to understand each patient’s unique circumstances and challenges, she is able to work collaboratively with people to help them achieve positive outcomes.

Jannah has also worked as a sports trainer with male, female and non-binary athletes, giving her valuable experience in sports massage, taping, treating a wide range of injuries, and managing rehabilitation and return to play.

When she’s not in the clinic, you can usually find Jannah in her garden, on a yoga mat or reading a book.

Book online! (Link in bio) or here: https://www.growingbones.com.au/online-booking/

We are still open over the Christmas New Year period, and it has been wonderful to see so many mums (who usually are taking care of everyone else) come in to sort themselves out!

If you can relate, book in this Saturday!

It’s rare, but we have 5 return appointments available tomorrow with Kirsten and Melissa.

Online bookings (link in bio) or here: https://www.growingbones.com.au/online-booking/

PROBLEM: You are tired, in pain and/or really needing someone to take care of you… but you are too busy caring for your darling baby.

SOLUTION: Together Treatments
We have now created an appointment type where both you and your baby can get treated at the same time, in the same room for 30 minutes!

Osteo for your baby +
Your choice of massage or osteo for you!

You can now request a together treatment online (book online - link in bio or here: https://www.growingbones.com.au/online-booking/ )

It’s best if you both have had an appointment individually before booking a together treatment, but sometimes this is not possible. Choose 45 min if ONE of you are new to the clinic x

You’re welcome!

That’s right!

We are in the process of updating our home exercise photos to videos, with the aim of improving parental understanding and confidence when at home.

The exercises are quite similar to the ones in these photos.

The videos will have no sound, your baby’s name will not be disclosed and no videos of your baby will NOT be posted on social media.

If you and your little darling are available to help- or have any questions, please email us (link in bio) or here: [email protected]

Your help means we can help other babies better!

… and one more ace pressie under the tree from