Preconception is the period before a couple actively tries to conceive a child. It involves preparing the body and creating the best environment for a healthy pregnancy and baby. This can include factors such as regulating the nervous system, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, managing pre-existing medical conditions, addressing nutritional needs, and reducing exposure to potential toxins and risks. Preconception care aims to enhance the chances of a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Ask any new mom, and she’ll tell you her goals for her baby are pretty straightforward – make sure they are comfortable, eating well, sleeping well, and are able to get the nutrients they need to grow and develop properly.  But when onesies, bibs, and their mom’s shirts are consistently getting soaked with “spit up” after each feeding, it’s hard to feel like the development they are going through is common and normal.  

Gross motor skills are movements that require the entire body and incorporate large muscle groups such as the arms, legs, core, and spine. These movements include sitting upright, walking, running, jumping, climbing, riding a bike, playing sports, etc. 

Most pediatric practitioners will focus primarily on how the ‘torso’ or ‘core’ is functioning when they assess a child for gross motor development, but we feel strongly that if we think of more as the spine or even ‘neurospinal’ system, it helps parents + practitioners get a fuller picture of what’s really going on with gross motor skills. 

The INSiGHT Scans are about finding, tracking, and understanding if subluxation and dysautonomia are present. And if they are, we need to know two things about them: 

1. How significant or severe (mild, moderate, severe, or intensive)? 

2. Where within the neurospinal system are things primarily located (tracking, targeting)? 

When too much tension and stress is stuck in one specific area of the neurospinal system, it helps us better understand why certain symptoms and conditions may be present. Additionally, running the INSiGHT Scans as part of a wellness checkup and before any symptoms may be present helps us predict and get ahead of potential trouble later. 

Developmental milestones are significant physical and behavioral signs or markers of optimal development in infants and young children. Things like holding their head up, tummy time, sitting up, rolling over, crawling, walking, and talking provide important information about how your child’s development is progressing. 

Additionally, it’s important to focus not just on the motor aspect of development but also on how key systems such as sleep, digestion, and immune function are progressing. These ‘internal’ aspects of development are so often overlooked and dismissed as something separate and distinct by your average pediatrician but really do hold the missing clues to why so many kids struggle with developmental delays in the first place. 

Hey parents, I want to talk about sleep today… or should I say lack of sleep. Let's discuss the importance of sleep for your child's health and well-being. Sleep is crucial for the immune, digestive, and cognitive systems of children. It impacts their social-emotional maturation and development. It is alarming that almost 50% of kids have trouble falling or staying asleep. Not enough people are talking about this! 

Lack of sleep causes irritability, difficulty focusing, and decreased energy levels. These challenges are even more severe for children as their brain is still developing and learning to regulate emotions, focus, and behavior.