THE NONA BLOG
The Science of Safety in Birth
Making visible the underlying physiology of how feeling safe can shape birth.
August 2026
Labor Land Is Real: Understanding Limbic Dominance in Birth
At some point in active labor, many birthing people stop talking. Birth workers sometimes call this labor land. It has a reputation as something mystical and unusual, but I think there is a better explanation.
Safety and the nervous system
The foundation everything else rests on: what safety is physiologically, and what happens to labor without it.
Labor Land Is Real: Understanding Limbic Dominance in Birth
The far-away state of active labor has a physiology. Understanding limbic dominance helps parents and birth professionals protect it.
August 2026 · Nervous system · Parents · Professionals
Not Just Another Trend: The Nervous System and the Physiology of Birth
The nervous system, embodiment, and regulation have started to sound a little “woo woo,” right? But there is a reason these concepts matter in birth and postpartum.
July 2025 · Nervous system · Professionals
Why Feeling Safe Isn’t Optional in Labor: A Nervous System Perspective
We have all heard it: “When the birthing parent feels safe, labor goes better.” But what does feeling safe actually mean, and how can we create that state with intention?
June 2025 · Nervous system · Parents · Professionals
The Limits of Self-Regulation in Labor And the Power of Good Support
While “staying calm” is valuable at certain moments in labor, it is important to acknowledge the limits of self-regulation, and the essential role of good support in the birth space.
June 2025 · Nervous system · Parents · ProfessionalsCoping, mindfulness, and the mind in labor
Coping treated as a practiced skill rather than a personality trait.
When Birth Doesn’t Go as Planned: Reflections for the Type A, Perfectionist Mind
For those of us who identify as “Type A” — the planners, the list-makers, the detail-oriented organizers — pregnancy and birth can stir up a surprising amount of emotional complexity.
July 2025 · Coping · Parents
Mindfulness: A Regulation and Coping Strategy for Birth
Mindfulness is often marketed as a tool for stress relief. In the context of pregnancy and birth it takes on a more precise role: a nervous system regulation strategy grounded in neuroscience.
June 2025 · Coping · Parents · ProfessionalsPrenatal yoga and group support
What the practice is actually preparing, and why the room matters as much as the poses.
Prenatal Yoga for Nervous System Regulation: A Nervous System-Informed Approach
“Prenatal yoga helps prepare you for birth.” But how does that actually work? Is it about flexibility? Breathing? Strength? The real benefit runs deeper.
June 2025 · Prenatal yoga · Parents
The Power of Group Support in Prenatal Yoga
Many participants say what helped most was not a pose or a breathing technique. It was the group. The space. The shared stories.
June 2025 · Prenatal yoga · ParentsFor doulas and birth professionals
Writing for the people in the room: what to notice, and how to be with intensity.
Why Nervous System Awareness Belongs in Birth Work
When we talk about preparing for birth, the conversation often centers on physical tools. What is often missing is an understanding of how the nervous system shapes the entire experience of labor.
September 2025 · Birth work · Professionals
Building Confidence as a Doula: Beyond Techniques and Tools
Doulas often need more than a basic training to feel confident. How to build the confidence to be with the intensity of birth.
July 2025 · Birth work · ProfessionalsNEWS FROM NONA
Class dates, trainings, and the occasional birth insight
Sign up for online training announcements, Columbia, Missouri class dates, and occasional reflections on the neuroscience of the mind-body connection in birth.
We treat your inbox the way we treat birth: with respect and no unnecessary interventions. Unsubscribe anytime.
