"In the history of sexual anatomy, the clitoris has long been dismissed, demeaned, and misunderstood. (Fun fact: when a French physician dissected this organ for the first time in 1545, he named it membre honteux—“the shameful member”—and declared its sole purpose to be urination) 😳 First off, it is not just some pea-sized nub. Around 90% of the clitoris’s bulk lies beneath the surface. It is a sprawling underground kingdom of crackling nerves and blood-pumping vessels. Underneath the nub, called the glans clitoris, a plump wishbone shape encircles the vagina, with arms that flare out up to nine centimeters into the pelvis. And that under-the-surface bulk is brimming with connections. The clitoris is intimately entwined with all of the pelvic structures around it, including the urethra (the duct for urination), the vagina and the labia. This arrangement has implications in the bedroom, in the classroom and on the operating table. Understanding the full shape of the clitoris helps us to improve anatomy textbooks and better comprehend how female orgasm works. It also helps surgeons to spare crucial nerves during pelvic surgery, improve gender-affirmation procedures and repair the clitorises of women who have undergone female genital mutilation. It took humans more than 2,000 years to develop this understanding—despite the fact that about half of the population has a clitoris. Throughout history, the clitoris has been lost, found and lost again, with male anatomists jostling one another over who deserves credit for its ‘discovery.’ Fortunately, a few anatomical pioneers are working to change that. In 2005 Australian urologist Helen O’Connell thrust the full anatomy of the clitoris into the public eye. O’Connell compared the clitoris to an iceberg: beneath the surface, it was 10 times the size most people thought it was and boasted two to three times as many nerve endings as the penis. And its shape—part penguin, part insect, part spaceship—was a marvel that could only be appreciated in three dimensions. Info via Scientific American. Art is ‘The Revolution of Self Exploration’ by Heather Sutherland (H$) @hdollarsymbol"

@nyssacare

NYSSA

"“Working Mother Suit: Pumping in the Stalls || How we treat Mothers in our society reflects what we value the most and what we value the least. An all too common occurrence, we are often forced to pump in the bathroom stalls. Pumping liquid gold as the smell of shit and piss lingers in the air. If breast is best, give Mothers the space they deserve in the work place so we can comfortably collect the food that nourishes our baby.” || A labor of labor || @kaseyjones_art 📸@jac000b When the bandages came off my own incision scar 3 days post-cesarean I was shocked. I had no preparation for the bruising, the swelling and what was left of my abdomen. I didn't know that past two weeks I would still be in daily pain. I wasn't told that I would have internal stitches to hold my uterus together and this would be far more painful than the incision itself. I wasn't aware of just how gruelling the healing process really was, and I think women should be told all this before. Not to scare them, but to prepare them for the best postpartum recovery they can have. As soon as I was home from the hospital I started taking photos of my body healing every couple of days. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but as I saw the beauty in how quickly my body was healing and recovering from such major surgery I wanted to share them. So here is my cesarean body and I hope it helps you to emotionally, mentally and physically prepare to birth your baby this way.” — Jules T. | @thejoysofjules"

@nyssacare

NYSSA

""This is how I get pregnant. It’s not glamorous or sexy. It’s not sensual or spontaneous. It’s not fun or eventful. It was 51 days of medication and injections leading to today. It will be three more months of medication and injections if this baby decides to stay. It’s just me, in a sterile operating room, legs spread in stirrups, with a speculum in my vagina. A long tube goes through my cervix, making its way into my uterus, finding the perfect spot to insert our embryo. We watch on the ultrasound machine as our sweet babe is pushed through that tube, transferred into my uterus. It’s five sets of eyes looking at my lady parts as science takes the wheel. The process today, in full, took 2 minutes and 19 seconds. This is infertility. This is IVF. For us, our 9th round and 6th transfer. It may not be glamorous, or sexy, or sensual, or spontaneous, or fun, or eventful, but it is special, and magical, and miraculous. It’s our journey, it’s all we know, and for us and our story, it’s perfect. Now we wait. 12 days from now blood will be drawn and results given. But that will only be the beginning. For now, one step at a time. For today, I am pregnant. Please sweet baby stay with us, you are already so loved ♥️🤞🏼🙏🏼✨🌈" @some_assembly_required__ | Thanks to @lifeafterbirth"

@nytimes

NYSSA

"“My experiences the past year have been shocking and uncomfortable, just like this photo. But it’s also where I’ve found the most growth.” — Mandi, ICU RN and new mother | Read more about Mandi’s experience at @jandimo_"

@jandimo_

NYSSA