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If Self-Pleasure Helps You Through Labor, Why Not?
Most women in labor wouldn’t consider masturbation as a go-to method for coping with the pain of contractions. However, one Australian doula, Mia Thompson, swears by it. She believes that embracing your own body could be a surprisingly effective natural pain relief strategy.
In a blog post that gained traction, doula and photographer Mia Thompson shared her experience of using masturbation as a coping mechanism during her six-hour labor. Having previously endured a highly medicalized birth with a hefty epidural, she sought a more empowering experience for her second child. “I wanted to enjoy the process,” she explains.
Mia researched various natural pain relief methods, including nipple stimulation and intimate moments with her partner, but ultimately found clitoral stimulation to be the most beneficial when contractions intensified. She recounted, “Masturbation was the most logical choice as I navigated through my surges. I remember my partner asking, ‘Would you like to have sex?’ I couldn’t commit to that, but he read my mind! Clitoral stimulation was a game-changer. It shifted my focus to my body and the energy within me. I felt connected, like I had some control over the sensations.”
While Mia didn’t reach orgasm during labor, she did find intense pleasure from the calm atmosphere and her own touch. “When I close my eyes, I can still feel that moment. The warm water, my partner’s hands in mine, and the joy as I rode those waves. It wasn’t orgasmic in the traditional sense, but it was pleasure – a glorious instinctual pain-relief system kicking in! I’m proud I explored something often stigmatized.”
The idea of finding pleasure during labor may sound strange, but research supports Mia’s experience. Neuroscientist Barry R. Komisaruk found that clitoral stimulation during labor can significantly raise pain thresholds and block certain pain signals from reaching the nervous system.
Ultimately, women have a distinct understanding of what their bodies need during labor. For some, that might be an epidural, while others prefer to move, shout expletives, immerse themselves in water, or even self-pleasure. Who are we to judge?
At the end of the day, it’s essential to respect a woman’s instincts about her own body during this intense experience. Whether it’s ice chips, an anesthesiologist, or a bottle of lube, the focus should be on providing whatever helps them through labor.
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Summary:
Labor is an intensely personal experience, and what works for one woman may not work for another. There’s no right or wrong way to cope, whether it’s through traditional methods like epidurals or unconventional ones like masturbation. Ultimately, it’s about finding what makes the process more manageable and empowering.