Orgasmic Birth

Ep 110 Description:  "Not only do people deserve a safe birth and a respectful birth, but every person deserves a day that brings you joy." —Debra Pascali-Bonaro   Tragically, pleasure has long been a missing piece in the modern birthing experience. Too often, birthing people are made to feel that expressing or even acknowledging their sexual or pleasurable feelings during labor is taboo or inappr...

Ep 109 Description:  "Children who know the correct words for their body parts also have a lower risk of being sexually abused. So it helps keep your child safe, in addition to giving them that sense of ownership over their bodies that they'll hopefully carry their whole lives." —Dorian Solot   The topic of sex and sexuality is still widely considered taboo when it comes to discussing it with chil...

Ep 108 Description:  "Pregnancy and new parenthood are not for the faint of heart. But it's okay to feel a little out of sorts. It's okay to feel overwhelmed. That doesn't mean you're a bad person or bad parent— it means you're human. Softening towards yourself is important." —Olivia Bergeron   Postpartum is a time of immense change and adjustment. New mothers are navigating physical and emotional...

Ep 107 Description:  "We don't get to choose our labor; we get to choose how we respond." —Tamara Walker   While birth plans aim to prepare us for what's to come, the reality is that labor does not always go according to plan. Tamara Walker's story is a powerful example of just how quickly things can change. With her first birth, she felt in control as labor progressed gradually over many hours. H...

Ep 106 Description:  "We shouldn't underestimate our emotions and what that can do to us as we are carrying the child and giving birth."  —Ma Ananda Sarita   Tantra offers powerful tools to prepare the mind, body, and spirit for birth. As birth approaches, Tantra encourages transcending cultural conditioning of pain to rediscover birth as a natural, ecstatic process. With regular practice, its met...

Ep 105 Description:  "Fear is a natural response, but it doesn't have to control your birth experience. With the right preparation, support, and mindset. You can transform that fear into confidence and have a powerful, empowering positive birth." —Debra Pascali-Bonaro   While fear is a natural human response, cultural and medical environment factors appear to be exacerbating childbirth fears rathe...

Ep 104 Description:  "Women know how to birth their babies, like their bodies know how to breathe and their hearts know how to beat. We just have to get out of its way." —Anne Many of the words that come to mind when thinking about birth reflect the fear and medicalization perpetuated by modern society. Terms like "painful," "dangerous," and "emergency" portray childbirth as something to be endure...

Ep 103 Description:  "It's helpful to make sure that you're considering what you really want, and then stack the cards in your favor." —Laura Hanstad A woman's birth experience is one of the most powerful and transformational events of her life. Yet for many, it does not go as envisioned due to a lack of knowledge or support.  This week, Debra sits with Laura Hanstad to discuss the power women hav...

Ep 102 Description:  "Your body belongs to you. Your body isn't for someone else's pleasure. It's not an ornament." —Christine Mason The female body undergoes profound changes during pregnancy and childbirth. As the womb expands to nurture new life, the body's shape and functions are transformed. However, societal attitudes have not always celebrated these transformations, with pregnant and postpa...

Ep 101 Description:  "If we can learn to tolerate our feelings of emotional pain, grief, loss, sadness, and anxiety, we open up the possibility of being able to feel more pleasure. And it starts with the body." —Dr. Nan Wise Pleasure is a fundamental part of the human experience that enhances well-being and quality of life. The ability to experience joy and satisfaction promotes relaxation, reduce...

Ep 100 Description:  "Birth and sex are transformative, intimate, and deserving of safe private spaces that honor the essence of the experience." —Debra Pascali-Bonaro   We welcome you to EPISODE 100!!    Our podcast has hit its pleasure peak as it reached its century mark all thanks to you, our dear listeners.  And what better way to celebrate this milestone than to reclaim birth as a natural and...

Ep 99 Description:  "Pleasure was a part of what it meant to feel good in life. Sexual identities are important that these things are worth investing and understanding." —Alexandra Fine While male sexuality is frequently encouraged or normalized in mainstream culture, female sexuality and pleasure are often negative and stigmatizing. As a result, women face barriers in openly discussing their bodi...

Ep 98 Description:  "Once you have the facts, once you have confidence in your information, you have confidence in your decision. You don't need to justify that to anyone. It's not your job to educate the world unless you decide it is." —Jen Kamel VBAC— Vaginal Birth After Cesarean is a common yet controversial choice that many birthing people face. While the evidence has long supported VBAC as a...

Ep 97 Description:  "If that's something that I could encourage other pregnant people to do, is to try to have that clarity about their wants and their needs and their desires, and then to verbalize from a place of clarity to their provider. That inner state of clarity is very important in the conversation." —Nicole Heidbreder "My job was to not try to fix things and be more of a listener."  —Amir...

Ep 96 Description:  "Preparing ahead is important as birth trauma often happens when the unexpected happens, and your voice and choice are not heard or honored." —Debra Pascali-Bonaro While many expectant parents envision an ideal birth experience, it's important to prepare for the possibility that things may not unfold as planned. Complications can arise that require medical intervention for the...

Ep 95 Description:  "The moment I said this actually hurts, it felt incorrect. It felt like 'pain' was too shallow of a word. And then I realized what I'm feeling is power." —Carina Devi   When pregnant with her second baby, Carina Devi embraced the joy of pregnancy rather than intensive preparation. Her labor brought intense yet transformative sensations.   In part two of "It's Not Pain, It's Pow...

Ep 94 Description:  "The only way out is through… There's only one way for this to end, and it is by me saying yes, and pushing my baby out." —Carina Devi Birth is a profound and transformative experience that has the power to deeply impact a woman's life. However, for too long, societal expectations have portrayed childbirth as something to simply endure, focusing on pain management rather than e...

Ep 93 Description:  "If you feel good in your body, your baby's gonna feel good in your body." —Rachel Yellin   While birth is a natural and beautiful process, it also involves significant pain for many women. As the baby moves through the birth canal during labor and delivery, the cervix must dilate fully and the perineum may stretch considerably. For some, these physical changes can cause intens...

Ep 92 Description:  "Female pleasure is the most natural thing for us. Shame is something that we have learned as a society, but it's not the way we were designed." —Dr. Jenny Martin Childbirth is often defined by pain, fear, and medical intervention— but what if there was another way? Ancient wisdom traditions understood birth as a sacred, transformative process that could activate deep states of...

Ep. 91 Description:  "The orgasmic nature of a woman is our inherent nature; it really is working with your senses. Your body knows how to birth the baby." —Lovisa Dahl    An empowered birth lays bare a woman's innate strength. Months of preparation have led her to know herself as deserving of comfort, respect, and full autonomy over her birthing journey. Exhausted yet buoyant, she cradles new lif...

Ep 90 Description:  "Midwives are trained that pregnancy is a normal function of the human body, it's wellness that occasionally goes wrong, as opposed to the doctors who think it's an illness that occasionally goes right." —Dr. Stuart Fischbein   At times, the medicalized one-size-fits-all model can fall short. For far too long, childbirth has been dominated by rigid medical protocols that priori...

How can understanding and using your 'BRAINS' transform your childbirth experience into a positive and empowering journey?   In this insightful episode of the Orgasmic Birth podcast, host Debra Pascali-Bonaro enlightens listeners on the power of making informed decisions during childbirth. She introduces the 'BRAINS' acronym as a tool for expectant mothers and their support teams to navigate the m...

Join us on a transformative journey with our inspiring guest, Sabine Dietz in the latest episode of the Orgasmic Birth Podcast, where we delve deep into the art and science of achieving an empowering and orgasmic birth, even in the most unlikely places like a hospital. Discover how Sabine conquered her fears to experience a blissful orgasmic birth in a German hospital and learn from Debra's profou...

How can making informed choices in childbirth empower both parents and practitioners and what does it truly mean to have an empowered birth experience? In this episode, Elliot Berlin delves into the significance of informed choices in childbirth, exploring the journey from fertility challenges to empowered birth experiences. Dr. Berlin shares his personal and professional insights, highlighting th...

In this transformative episode of the Orgasmic Birth Podcast, host Debra Pascali-Bonaro explores the complex journey from childbirth trauma to empowering and pleasurable birth experiences with guest Moran Liviani. As a seasoned birth doula, Lamaze educator, hypnobirthing practitioner, and placenta encapsulation specialist, Moran offers valuable insights and personal reflections on overcoming past...