Ep. 2 of the Orgasmic Birth Podcast The Anatomy of Arousal with Rachel E. Gross
Orgasmic Birth Podcast: Pleasure in pregnancy, birth and parenting. I believe pleasure is our birthright – from our sexuality, birth, parenting and beyond, we can find pleasure when we create space for joy and intimacy in our lives. Join me to have deep conversations about breaking the taboos of Sexuality + Motherhood/Parenthood.
Listen to leading experts in sexuality, healing and childbirth as well as stories from new parents, doulas, doctors, midwives and nurses. We will discuss how to positively prepare for childbirth and parenting by expanding love and intimacy in your life.
In this episode, we discuss:
Shame and society’s conception of g******s Clitoral Complex: female pleasure, anatomy, and function The female reproductive organ is interconnected and complex. It’s more than just what we see. Female reproductive system’s role in pleasure and arousal We could make the birthing experience pleasurable when we have a full understanding of the female reproductive organ’s anatomy and its role. Bad history of ‘vaginal orgasm’ and ‘clitoris orgasm’ impacts negatively the way we look at our own sexuality. Rewriting our thoughts about the female body, and the active role of the female reproductive organ in fertilization Rachel talks about the importance of understanding your own sexuality and the benefits of integrating this into sexual education.
Rachel is the author of the recent book, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage (a New York Times Editors’ Choice). Buy on Amazon or Norton.
Key Takeaways:
-Familiarizing yourself with your sexual anatomy is not something to be ashamed of
-It is possible to have a comfortable and enjoyable vaginal childbirth because of the female reproductive organ’s natural process
-Integrating with sex ed is a good way to make kids be engaged in their own changing bodies, understand their natural needs, and address warning signs.
-Many people feel like it is taboo or inappropriate to discuss pleasure but when approached with an open mind, this could actually open up doors to self-discovery and appreciation.
“I think that the lens really changes when you view this as a system that’s working together, both in reproduction but also in sexuality and arousal. So again, like it’s not the vagina, or the clitoris or the vagina and the clitoris, it’s they’re both intertwined.”
– Rachel E. Gross
“I think on the female side, first of all, we need to be way more like pleasure positive and talk about your body as like something beautiful to explore and have curiosity about rather than starting with a place of fear.”
– Rachel E. Gross
About Rachel
Rachel E. Gross. Rachel is an award-winning science journalist focusing on reproductive and sexual health, based in Brooklyn, NY. A recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship, Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, and former digital science editor of Smithsonian magazine, Gross writes for the BBC Future, the New York Times, and Scientific American.
Rachel is also an experienced public speaker and panelist, and has moderated Congressional Briefings on basic science, performed for the national storytelling show Story Collider, and hosted educational videos for Scientific American. Rachel is the author of the recent book, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage (a New York Times Editors’ Choice). Buy on Amazon or Norton.