Orgasms and Birth

When thinking about the idea of enjoying childbirth, there is nothing more intriguing… and hexing than the idea of an orgasmic birth. We are the children of Eve and have been brought up on that story. How could childbirth ever be physically pleasurable? Emotionally maybe, spiritually definitely, but physically?

But if you take a moment to really think about the body parts involved in birth- well, it isn’t as far of a reach as you might have thought, right?

The idea of orgasms and birth coinciding may take a bit of cultural reconditioning, but on a physical level they are quite complementary. There are two ways to think about it.

Orgasm as a birth tool.
Orgasm as a spontaneous part of the birthing process.

The first is relatively straightforward.
Orgasms can be used to jump start labor. They can be used to move a sluggish labor along. They can also, perhaps most intriguingly, be used to manage labor. How?
Orgasms are a powerful natural pain killer, more powerful than some of the strongest drugs out there. Don’t believe me? Google it. You will be flooded with all the research and stats.

The second- the idea of a spontaneous orgasmic birth is more slippery. Ina May Gaskin’s informal research has found that about 20% of women who birth naturally experience this phenomena. Much like the orgasms we have during sex- the more you “try”, the more elusive it can be. It’s also not really the point of the whole experience.

But… the more connected you are to your body and sensuality, the more accessible it is. In another blog post, I talk about sensual expansion in life as prep for an ecstatic birth. That is a life long training process. The more connected you are, the better sex is, the better birth is, the better life is. Mmmmm.

I have seen women lie back and go inward to allow the endless waves of orgasm pass through their bodies. This is possible for every woman. Imagine a woman in childbirth?

These are some of the pleasurable things we discuss in OBABY!, my signature Ecstatic Birth Training program for Mothers-to-be and in the Private Trainings I do with women .

I have to say that for some pregnant women orgasms are contra-indicated, especially those considered high risk, so please consider this blog post as purely informational and always check with your care team before trying something new.