If only we had studied birthing closely by listening to women, we would have created a more positive view of childbirth.
In this episode, we are joined by Margaret Jowitt to talk about how familiarity with a woman’s anatomy could greatly impact one’s experience of childbirth. Clitoris’ role in reproduction is often disregarded but with proper understanding and technique, it can actually ease the intensity of labor and make up for a positive birth experience. Ever since the birth of her third child in 1991, Margaret Jowitt has been working towards making birth a safer and more rewarding experience for mothers and their babies. After a first degree in music and psychology, she gained an MPhil from Keele in 1998, researching Mothers' Experience of Birth at Home and in Hospital. Her first book, Childbirth Unmasked, looked at the anatomy and physiology of birth, showing how stress hormones conflict with birth hormones. Since 1996 she has edited Midwifery Matters, the magazine of the Association of Radical Midwives. She considers that prevention is better than cure and believes that good midwifery care based on the needs of the individual woman is the key to safer childbirth.

In this episode:

The Best-Kept Secret! Listening to women and their experiences is the first step to familiarizing ourselves with childbirth and making it better The clitoris is not only for female sexuality but it plays a huge role in the reproduction Key Takeaways:

Birth is not being observed properly, and by avoiding conversation about it, we are missing out on its beauty Having the right understanding of birth and how it works could help hospitals set up the right environment and improve the birthing experience The clitoris and where it is located helps prepare the woman's body for labour Oxytocin might be released through the clitoris During pregnancy, the woman’s anatomy changes creating a cushion for the baby There needs a certain pressure to trigger orgasm and giving birth with the baby’s head in the right position could trigger orgasmic birth During pregnancy, always move Tweetable Quotes:

“The point is we don't observe birth properly. I think if we had observed it, if the scientists observed births properly, videoed it, analyze the video, talk to women to find out how they felt, I think we'd have got a far greater understanding of births.” - Margaret Jowitt “Nature might love us, but I don't think nature loves us enough for that nerve (clitoris) only to be used for sex. I think it serves a primary reproductive function if you're talking sort of pure science and biology.” - Margaret Jowitt “Until we start talking to women about how birth works. We tend to be stuck in the middle of the last century, believing what the men tell us about our own bodies.” - Margaret Jowitt