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Polyvagal Principles for Birth & Postpartum
Co-regulation serves as the language of our nervous systems, facilitating the dynamic interaction necessary for regulating our autonomic nervous systems, particularly the ventral vagal system. In this process, individuals with a more regulated autonomic nervous system support others in regulating theirs, nurturing feelings of safety and tranquility. During the birthing process, co-regulation serves as a tool that engages the nervous systems of both the labor support person and the client. When the doula and the mother have their ventral vagal circuits synchronized…not only is the mother calm and glowing, but so is the doula.
Empowered Pushing - 2nd Stage of Labout & the Pelvic Floor
One of the shortest part of labor—the pushing stage—is the most important when it comes to impact on your body and lasting effects on the pelvic floor.
What I’ve found is that birthing moms are often underprepared for the pushing stage of labor. They may push inefficiently for extended periods of time. This is not without consequence. Unnecessary forceful pushing can be harmful to the perineum, increasing the risk of tearing and pelvic-floor weakness associated with incontinence or prolapse. Uncoordinated pushing during birth can also lead to further weakening and damaging of the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor.
But it doesn’t have to be this way...
It’s Not Always About the Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve has become something of a wellness celebrity. On podcasts, in newspapers, in casual conversations, and even from health practitioners, I keep hearing misconceptions about its purpose, its power, and its limits. While the vagus nerve is an important part of the nervous system, it’s only one piece of a much larger system that shapes how we feel, heal, and respond to the world.
In this article, I put the vagus nerve into the context of the wider nervous system that is at the center of your experience. I clarify some of the over-simplifications of the role the vagus plays and provide the reader with examples of nourishing, sustaining habits that support your overall nervous system.
Podcasts
Courses
Menopause Mastery
A practical introduction to nervous system-informed menopause support, covering the one foundational shift that changes how your body navigates this transition.
Books
The Pelvic Floor: Everything You Needed To Know Sooner covers topics such as: Pregnancy, Birth, Pelvic Pain, Postpartum, Incontinence and the Mature Pelvic Floor and more!
I'm proud to be one of nine pelvic floor experts, doctors, physical therapists, and fitness professionals, behind The Pelvic Floor.
I authored four chapters spanning the full pelvic floor journey:
Ch. 1 — Get to Know Your Pelvic Floor (a health coaching perspective)
Ch. 12 — Empowered Pushing: Second Stage Labor & Your Pelvic Floor
Ch. 28 — Bladder Issues
Ch. 38 — The Mature Pelvic Floor: Symptoms & Lifestyle Factors in Older Women
Drawing on my work across birth, menopause, and health coaching, these chapters help you understand your pelvic floor and protect your physiology at every life stage.
Somatic-Oriented Therapies represents a significant consolidation of innovative research and clinical approaches aimed at addressing trauma through various somatic modalities.
This volume of collected work from some of the world’s leading experts in trauma aims to delineate this novel domain of research and clinical intervention.
Chantal is a contributing author in this volume, writing on the role of safety and nervous system regulation in birth, including fostering connection and co-regulation to minimize trauma for both parents and baby. Drawing on over 20 years as a doula and birth educator, she explores how safety, felt in the body, the mind, and the room, shapes the physiology of labor.
