In this episode of Motherhood Aligned and Assigned, Dr. Serena Coffman and Dr. Veronica Schiltz expose what most doctors aren't discussing: the nervous system's role in preeclampsia. They explain the gas pedal (sympathetic) vs. brake pedal (parasympathetic) analogy—in pregnancy, you NEED the brake pedal working because your blood volume increases 30-50% and your body needs to adapt in massive ways. When chronic stress keeps you stuck on the gas pedal, blood vessels stay constricted, stress hormones stay elevated, and conditions like preeclampsia emerge. Research shows maternal stress can increase the risk up to 20 times. Dr. Serena's midwife said it's "random," but the data says otherwise. Discover what dysautonomia actually means, why you can't cognitive therapy your way out of fight or flight, the warning signs most moms miss (terrible sleep and heartburn before you're even showing), and why the moms who say "I'm fine" are often the most stressed (freeze/fawn response). You have more control than you think.

Timestamps:

00:25 Why Preeclampsia Is Rising

00:47 Gas and Brake Analogy

01:30 Pregnancy Needs Adaptation

02:24 Dysautonomia Explained

03:21 Stress Hormones and Vessels

04:40 Is It Really Random

05:49 Chiropractic and Stored Stress

07:15 Mindset vs Subconscious Stress

09:54 Hidden Stress Signs in Pregnancy

10:32 Different Stress Responses

12:02 Find Nervous System Care

12:49 Empowering Worried Moms

Resources Mentioned:

• PX Docs Directory

Connect with Veronica:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Connect with Serena:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

You're running from speech therapy to OT, feeding therapy, behavioral therapy—layering in supplements, special diets, sensory tools, detox protocols. All out of deep love for your child. But despite all that effort, progress feels slow or it's not happening at all. And you're left asking: What are we missing? Why isn't this working? Where do we go next?

In this episode of Motherhood Aligned and Assigned, Dr. Serena Coffman and Dr. Veronica Schiltz explain what most doctors aren't looking for: your child doesn't need more therapies—they need the right foundation for everything else to work. They break down "the perfect storm" (prenatal stress → birth stress → postnatal stress compounding into cracks in the foundation), why 90% of newborns have spinal dysfunction after birth, and the house analogy that changes everything—Dr. Serena's husband just bought a house where they'd already built rooms upstairs with the foundation cracked on both walls. Discover why adding more therapies is like plugging too many devices into power strips until the circuit breaker trips, why therapies plateau or cause regression when the nervous system is overloaded, and the story of an adopted 3-year-old with the perfect storm who whispered "hug, please" for the first time. Connection is the most beautiful result of nervous system repair.

Timestamps:

00:25 When “More Therapy” Isn’t Working: The Missing Foundation

02:07 What We See in the Office: Burned-Out Families & Unchecked Nervous Systems

03:13 The Cracked Foundation Analogy: Why Progress Keeps Slipping

05:54 The “Perfect Storm” Starts Early: Prenatal + Birth Stressors

10:24 Postnatal Stress Piles On: Reflux, Sleep, Infections & Overload

11:56 Guilt, Meltdowns, ADHD/Anxiety: Signs the System Is Stuck in Stress

13:37 Why Therapies Plateau: Overloaded Bandwidth & When to Pause

16:47 The Fix: Neurologically Focused Chiropractic + Insight Scans

18:20 Real-Life Breakthrough: The First Hug (Connection Returns)

21:19 Next Steps: What to Expect at Your First Visit + Finding a PX Doc

You've spent thousands on therapy, changed your child's entire diet, tried supplements, breathing exercises, sensory tools—all the experts, all the options. Yet here you are watching the same struggles repeat: the meltdowns, the anxiety, the focus issues, the sleep problems. Everything helped for a little bit, then you plateaued.

In this episode of Motherhood Aligned and Assigned, Dr. Serena Coffman and Dr. Veronica Schiltz explain why you're not doing anything wrong—you're just doing things out of order. They break down the difference between rebuilding and repairing, and why you can't rebuild on a shaky foundation. Dr. Serena shares the story of a PT mom whose superstar athlete son had seizures—she covered up the neuromuscular imbalance perfectly, but the nervous system dysfunction causing the seizures was still there. Discover why therapies plateau, how your body waves different red flags when you mask symptoms, and the parking brake analogy that changes everything. You're trying to push a car to the gas station with the parking brake on. It's not that other therapies aren't important—but you need to release the brake first. Three to nine months to establish the foundation for the rest of your life.

Resources Mentioned:

• PX Docs Directory

Connect with Veronica:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Connect with Serena:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook