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Grey’s Anatomy Encourages Having An Orgasm While In Labor

Did a popular TV show really encourage a woman to have an orgasm while in labor? Yup, it sure happened and we're going to talk all about it!

I’ve been watching Grey's Anatomy since the beginning.

You know, when actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan played the unforgettable role of Denny Duquette.

Back when a dance party between Meredith and Cristina made everything right in not just their world, but my world too.

Flash-forward to the present-day and Jeffrey Dean Morgan is now exclusively known as Negan from The Walking Dead.

Further, I’m now a mom and childbirth educator with a critical eye for the way birth is portrayed on TV.

I can’t help it.

I realize that must-see TV is all about drama but birth isn’t always a medical emergency. And Grey’s is notorious for taking things way too far.

So you can imagine my great surprise when I was getting caught up on last week’s episode and watched a stereotypical birth scene start to unfold in an unexpected direction.

This is Season 14 Episode 3, “Go Big or Go Home” and I’ll set the scene for you.

woman having Orgasm While In Labor

Grey's Anatomy Orgasm Episode

A woman has been in labor for many hours with her second child following a lot of complications with her first.

This included her blood pressure dropping dramatically after receiving an epidural (something not uncommon but it doesn’t get talked about often).

And of course, for the sake of TV dramatization, she’s severely allergic to Pitocin (a synthetic hormone that helps to speed up labor).

So, the game plan is to just allow her to labor naturally…shocking, I know!

A little while later in the show, we learn that her labor isn’t progressing beyond 4 centimeters.

Leave it to a new sexy Italian character to recommend introducing a little Oxytocin to this woman’s labor. Oxytocin in the form of an orgasm from clitoral stimulation!

As she says, “What gets the baby in, also gets the baby out.”

Oxytocin is the real deal Pitocin – it’s the love hormone! It’s what makes your heart race, face blush, and body tingle when you’re being touched (or touching yourself) in all the right places.

Encouraging women to have an orgasm while in labor isn’t something new – but I’m thrilled it was part of this Grey’s Anatomy storyline.

When I was pregnant I remember reading about nipple stimulation as a way to produce oxytocin during labor. It came up again as I was training to become a certified childbirth educator for plus size women.

My education went to a whole new level as I was observing a birth for my certification.

Things had stalled out for this woman’s labor. Her doula recommended we provide the couple with some privacy.

She encouraged them to enjoy their alone time together. I watched as she handed the dad some electric candles for mood lighting and ushered them into the only place they could actually get some privacy in a hospital – the bathroom.

I knew, from the shift in the energy in the room, that a lot more than nipples were stimulated!

Sure enough, Grey’s Anatomy climaxed (see what I did there?) with the baby starting to crown immediately following the orgasm.

The results weren’t the same for the mom whose birth I got to witness.

Yet, I will say she sure seemed a lot less stressed after her alone time with her partner.

I think it’s awesome that Grey's Anatomy encourages having an orgasm while in labor and I hope they keep sharing storylines like these.

Now if only they’d stop writing off my favorite characters (RIP Lexie).

What are your thoughts on having an orgasm while in labor? Share within the comments!

Jen McLellan, CBE
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