Orgasmic Birth

The DVD Orgasmic Birth, directed by Debra Pascali-Bonaro, has sparked quite a stir in recent months. There was a spot about it that aired on 20/20 on January 2,2009.

I expected this video to be full of women having orgasms during labor and birth. It is true that some women do have actual orgasms during labor, but Orgasmic Birth is more about the peak experience that is possible when birth is left to unfold of its own accord.

This DVD features eleven different couples and shows some of their birth experiences.

The first birth takes place outdoors on the couple's deck. That's my dream to give birth outside! I thought it was so wonderful to see the mom cozied up with her baby after the birth laying on the deck...how amazing would that be?

The video shows mostly women who are giving birth at home attended by midwives. It shows one woman who has a natural hospital birth. Some of the women have short, easy labors and one woman labors for a day and a half!

There are interviews with the women both before and after their births.

In each instance they talk about how empowered, strong, sensual, and proud their experiences made them feel.

There are also interviews with many influential natural birth advocates like Ina May Gaskin, Marsen Wagner, Elizabeth Davis, and Christiane Northrup.

There is one birth that shows a woman having an actual orgasm during labor. Beautiful!

Sandwiched in between all the natural homebirths are a few hospital births that ended up with a lot of intervention and/or in cesarean section.

At first I questioned why they were showing these very interventative births. After all, haven't we seen enough of them in the media and heard about them from our friends? We need at least as much equal time showing physiological births.

But, I realized that it presents a stark contrast to the other natural, physiological births shown in the film. It shows just how wonderful unmanaged, unmedicated birth can be and how stressful and harmful that managed and medicated birth can be.

My least favorite part was when Piper was taken by ambulance to the hospital even though it wasn't an emergency. It made a natural birth seem more like an emergency to me. But, it is good to know that it is possible for women in the hospital to have birth be a peak life experience--an orgasmic-like birth.

My Favorite Part was when Trisha talked about her birth experience:

"I've never done work that is quite so satisfying as the work I did that day--giving birth to Juny. I am so proud of myself for what I did. I don't have any problem saying how proud of myself I was. I mean, you know, there's not that many times in life when you can just tell the world that you are proud of yourself. But I am so proud of myself after that day."

It reminded me how proud I am of birthing my daughter. Why don't we as women claim our power more? Why don't we speak up and say how proud of ourselves we are? Not just about giving birth, but in all our achievements?

For more information, go to the website Orgasmic Birth.

The of power of Orgasmic Birth is that it shows many different women in different situations experiencing birth as wonderful, life-changing, and amazing. The way birth was meant to be!

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