Post partum
Intimacy
After delivery, most health care professionals recommend that you do not have intercourse for 6-8 weeks or until after your first visit with your ob/gyn. This is to allow time for you to fully heal. Beyond that initial timeframe, sexual intercourse can usually begin again.
You may hear comments from your friends and family members who have gone through the childbirth experience that their sex life has gone away. There are many reasons that get in the way of intimacy -- a crying baby, fatigue, different schedules, concern over your body image and the new stress of parenthood. It is normal for new parents to have less sex in the first months after a child is born.
Here are some helpful hints to keep your private and romantic lives going:
- Focus on your relationship
- with your partner. Time, talking and touching together are all part of establishing intimacy. Although you are the same couple, the birth of a baby represents significant changes in your relationship. Taking the time to talk about your feelings keeps the communication lines open and your emotional connections intact, both of which are key to maintaining intimacy and preventing feelings of “distance” and sexual disinterest.
- Touch
– Never underestimate the power of touch. Massage reduces stress and enhances intimacy. Touching is a way to establish the intimate roots you had before your baby arrived.
- Time
- find time in your day for you as a couple. Let chores that are not a priority slide so you can be together. Take advantage of the offers for baby sitting, even if you step out for a brief dinner or walk.
Tips for breastfeeding women
- You may experience decreased vaginal lubrication, even if you are fully aroused. This is a result of hormones, not mood. Try a water-soluble lubricant sold over the counter in most drug stores.
- You may also find that with orgasm, if your breasts are full, your breast milk may spray. This response is due to the release of oxytocin, a hormone that is released during orgasm that also causes your milk to eject. If you want to avoid this, nurse or pump before you become intimate.
