Eita Segawa was the inspirational organizer of the first Orgasmic Birth Screening in Japan.
I was moved to meet him as the universe’s divine timing had me in Japan with Kiyoe to teach doula workshops at the exact time Orgasmic Birth was having it’s first screening which Eita had organized at a birth cafe in Tokyo. We meet downstairs from the screening in a cafe where we shared his story of why he was a birth activist and planned to help bring Orgasmic Birth all over Japan. In high School one of his friends was in a bad accident, she was left paralyzed. Her courage and determination to make a difference was an inspiration to many. Her story was so moving it was filmed, she married and was overjoyed to become pregnant. Sadly shortly after birth she died – Eita believes her maternal death was preventable as so many are. Overuse of technology as new Intrapartum Care For a Positive Childbirth Experience from the World Health Organization (WHO) says “While in some settings too few interventions are being provided too late to women, in other settings women are receiving too many interventions that they do not need too soon.” This leaves too many people dying or many more with near misses suffering unneeded surgeries and interventions with all their consequences physically and emotionally in childbirth. Eita’s friend’s story is captured in both a documentary as well as in a feature film, all this adding to his activism as an artist and then with his own three children’s births, the first medicalized and the next two at home unassisted aspiring him to create birth cafés around Japan and now showing our documentary Orgasmic birth All over Japan beginning the end of April to inspire conversations, to encourage people to educate themselves on all that birth holds as this is a day you will never forget, how you choose to give birth has a profound effect on MotherBaby’s physical and emotional well-being both immediately and often for years to come.
We walked upstairs for the final scenes of the documentary, I am always moved to tears hearing Helen’s birth story as a survivor of sexual abuse, birth was the moment she reclaimed her body and gave birth with joy. Many survivors of sexual abuse find giving birth an opportunity for healing, while others sadly are re-traumatized. We must talk about survivors, the sexuality of childbirth and to offer every person an opportunity to birth with respect and dignity, honoring their choices of where they feel safe and private to allow themselves to open to the intimacy of bringing new life into the world.
Walking to the front of the room after the screening always gives me such a humble feeling – that our 5 year journey making a film, has touched each person here tonight.
This moment we are together – sharing that birth is more than we have been told, it’s a sacred gateway to life, that has been too often sterilized from the emotions, love and care that it deserves. Orgasmic Birth has opened a floodgate of emotions and opportunity to reclaim gentle birth with love.
Eita and I are eager to hear feedback and questions. There are tears throughout – both men and women moved by the 7 birth stories of Orgasmic Birth. There were many wonderful questions, one i love is “how to support their partners in birth this way”. That is simple – love them through labor just as you love them in life. The things that turn her own in life, will be wonderful to help to open to birth.
Doulas will have a tool kit of comfort measures that they can teach you and help you with – making a beautiful circle of support – together like in the picture -a circle to surround women giving birth where they feel safe, love and supported – doulas and partners are perfect together.
We were joined by Matsuriko an author who wrote a new book in Japan about love and pleasure and included a chapter about orgasmic birth without even knowing about our film and book. The more people that reclaim and speak about sexuality and pleasure in birth, people are feeling this shift around the world!
Art all around the world shows that women used singing, dance and many comfort measures to ease the pain of childbirth, offering their loving care with joy at home birth. Why was this lost when we moved birth into hospital – this was some of our discussion tonight.
Whenever I travel and speak in other countries i am blessed to have translators I would not be able to communicate and understand the culture and the context in such a full and heart opening way. I want thank you each as without each of you – from Ryoko and Kiyoe who translated the film to my translator at our first Orgasmic Birth screening, Tomoko who has become a dear friend and also passionate about these topics and at the 2nd screening Yoko Yuile-Shinoda who is working with Yumi or Nanaka Oba as she goes by to translate our book Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying and Pleasurable Birth Experience into Japanese – Thank you all so much! Your trust in birth and willingness to be bold and speak about the Orgasmic Joy, Pleasure, Love and opportunities that birth holds in each of our lives is revolutionary!
Together we join the many others around the world who know it’s time to speak up – to shine our light and change the language of birth, to bring more love and respect to every MotherBaby and to return traditional comfort measures respecting birth as whole, physical, emotional, spiritual and yes… sexual.
i believe the times are changing we have learned through science the harms of overusing valuable technology that can save the life of a MotherBaby when they have risks, yet using it on low risk births increases harms both physically and emotionally and deprives birth-givers of experiencing one of life’s most transcendent moments with power, pleasure and love.
I would love to hear your thoughts – where did you see our film? Did Orgasmic Birth influence your choices for your birth and if so, how? Tweet me @OrgasmicBirth
If you have had a safe, satisfying, pleasurable birth – we would love to invite you to share your story. As in our film and Orgasmic Birth book, birth stories offer us beautiful lessons as others prepare to welcome their baby. Share your story to birth forward your story and wisdom here.
Thank you Japanese Birth Advocates – soon you will be showing Orgasmic Birth all over Japan and we will be with you in spirit, waiting to hear the discussion coming together and talking about Orgasmic Birth create!
I have always said it doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree, we must have discussion about birth possibilities and opportunities as to accept the current technological shift and think each person on their own can have the birth they want is like trying to swim against a current – you can do it, but is so hard,
Together we can turn the tides and reclaim and passion, pleasure, love and sexuality of birth! TWEET THAT!
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