For many women giving birth is an euphoric, albeit intensely painful experience.
But 35-year-old Emily Street, dubbed ‘Britain’s luckiest mum’, feels there is a fine line between pleasure and pain, claiming her labours have been utterly orgasmic.
Emily also reported these ‘euphoric’ sensations – akin to the intense hormones generated through orgasm – are incredibly long-lasting, and continue up to four weeks after the birth of her babies.
The mum-of-four, who lives with husband Paul, 34, first experienced these childbirth orgasms with her eldest son, Oscar, who is now nine.
Emily elaborated:
The euphoria that I felt after the birth was very, very close to an orgasm sensation, which lasted for three or four weeks as opposed to something that’s very intense for a short amount of time.
From my point of view, I’m happy with that.
The couple has since welcomed three more children into the world – Ernie, Roo and Pip – and Emily reports similar sensations after each birth.
Her story has many women wondering about the basis of these orgasmic births.
Emily, who is a midwife herself, claims the pleasurable sensations she felt are down to hypnobirthing, ‘a complete birth education programme, that teaches simple but specific self hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques for a better birth’.
She explained:
People think that hypnobirthing is this airy-fairy, hippie, new age thing, but it’s really not. It’s a real, back to basics principal.
There’s not a midwife or doctor in the land who’d argue that a relaxed woman isn’t going to find labour more easy.
I absolutely loved every minute of being in labour. I don’t want any more children but I would love to have that sensation again.
Emily’s experience is reassuring for those of us who don’t know the pain of childbirth – and think it looks absolutely excruciating.
Furthermore, Emily claims modern women have never been so terrified of childbirth, thanks to graphic birthing programmes such as Channel 4’s One Born Every Minute.
When Emily was pregnant with Oscar, she echoed the fears of many mums-to-be, saying ‘I was really quite terrified having seen loads of things as a midwife, and obviously the things that really stick with you are the ones that weren’t so nice.’
She added:
I remember being heavily pregnant with Oscar, sitting on the sofa a nervous wreck and just bursting into tears saying, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this’.
According to Emily, this fear is causing miserable maternity experiences for thousands of expectant mums.
Despite being initially sceptical about the hypnobirthing therapy, since seeing the results Emily has turned her attention to consulting and private midwifery.
Through a combination of relaxation and breathing techniques, Emily helps women who are open to natural alternatives experience the pain-free birth she had.
Emily described how the birth of Oscar was aided by the therapy:
The whole idea behind hypnobirthing is distraction in order to keep you calm and to conserve your energy.
When my labour first started, I was at home and it was about 11pm. I went downstairs, put on a chick-flick movie starring Jennifer Aniston and told myself to relax.
It all felt very new and intense, but it was never overwhelming or unmanageable. Oscar arrived just before 8am. I had a fabulous birth, and there was no pain relief.
Whether the therapy works for everyone is hard to tell, but Emily’s orgasmic experience sounds like something all women could enjoy.
Considering the way in which children are conceived, it only seems fair the women should get a go during the biological process of becoming a parent too.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.