A woman who just gave birth to her second child is encouraging expectant mothers to do clitoral stimulation during childbirth. She says the activity has advantageous effects to women in labor.
Angela Gallo stated on her official blog site that touching herself while in labor was more relaxing and less painful than her first pregnancy. She said masturbation directed her focus to her vagina. She felt empowered knowing she had control over the pain.
"The hormones, sensations, the anatomy involved, brain activity, receptors... they are all so heavily intertwined," said the 30-year old Australian photographer. "Heck, women around the world are experiencing orgasmic childbirth. I wanted to make sure I had a piece of that pie!"
Gallo, an avid follower of midwifery expert Ina May, explained that intimacy or any forms of sexual arousal instigate the release of oxytocin, endorphin and adrenaline in the body. She said these hormones are a woman's natural allies during childbirth.
"Ever had a headache, or been hung-over, or couldn't sleep; and you instinctively decided on a mini-masturbation sesh? And then voila, headache magically gone?" Gallo asked. "Well, many of us do it. And that's because it works. So why would it be any different to using clitoral stimulation in during/between contractions?"
While clitoral stimulation can relieve pain, Live Science pointed out that some women experience involuntary orgasms during childbirth. In the journal "Sexologies" published in 2013, midwives say they witnessed orgasms in roughly 0.3 percent of births.
Rutgers University psychology professor Barry Komisaruk said orgasmic births aren't so rare since the intense arousal of the vaginal canal during childbirth can work as a natural pain reliever. Nevertheless, every woman is different. Expectant mothers should not view orgasmic births as a performance standard.
"There are so many factors that could make the difference between a pleasurable response and a terribly stressful, aversive experience that you can't generalize it," Komisaruk explained. "There's no reason to try to generalize. Different people have different pain thresholds. Different people have different attitudes.
