Postnatel Care

Is Intercourse After Delivery Safe? Know How To Resume It

Is It Safe To Resume Sex After Delivery?

Pregnancy is a time where a lot of changes are taking place in the body. Once the baby is delivered, it takes some time to recover. The mother must pay special attention to herself until the body recovers fully from pregnancy blues. It should be ensured that any activity involving stress and taking a lot of energy from the mother should be performed only after consultation with the doctor. Sex after delivery is one such activity.

When Is It Safe To Resume Physical Intercourse After Delivery?

It is important to understand that the post-delivery body is delicate and requires extreme care. It is not possible to have intercourse until at least two weeks have expired since the risk of uterine infection or hemorrhage is very high during this time. Furthermore, it is recommended that you wait at least four weeks before you can have sex. If you have fresh stitches as a result of your C section delivery or other procedure, this time frame extends to six months.

Consult your doctor for the most accurate time frame when to have sex after delivery.

How does delivery affect sexual life?

Sex feels different after delivery. A small study from 2005 showed that in the first three months after the first birth, 83 percent of females had sexual problems.

The number continues to decline, however, as the months after pregnancy increase.

The most common problems with sex after delivery include:

  • Vaginal dryness
  • Thin vaginal tissue
  • Loss of elasticity in vaginal tissue
  • Perineal tear or episiotomy
  • Bleeding
  • Pain
  • “Loose” muscles

Hormones play a major role in healing from post-delivery and returning to normal sexual activity. Estrogen drops to pre-pregnancy levels in the days immediately after birth. When breastfeeding, levels of estrogen can drop below levels of pre-pregnancy. Estrogen tends to provide normal vaginal lubrication, thereby increasing the likelihood of vaginal dryness due to low hormone levels. Dry tissue during sex can cause irritation, even bleeding. It increases your risk of becoming infected. Vaginal birth can stretch the vaginal canal muscles temporarily. To regain their strength and stability, these muscles need time.

Why You Don’t Feel Like Having Sex after Giving Birth?

This may be due to multiple causes. To begin with, you may have too much stress and too little energy to think about having sex.

In the first few weeks, the responsibility of managing the baby might leave no room for sex. The feeling that your changing body is less desirable and unsettled will reduce your confidence and prevent you from becoming intimate with your partner.

Upon giving birth, baby blues or postpartum depression may also keep you away from pregnancy.

What Can You Do To Boost Your Sex Drive?

First, let your body recover before restarting sexual life is important. Partners looking to have sex after birth should do it with the consent of each other.

Try and spot a moment of the day when you are both less stressed out and have the energy to get together. You should be gentle in the first few sessions and choose a position in which women monitor the penetration depth and pace

With a healthy diet with plenty of nutrients and good rest and gentle physical exercises, the body will quickly recover.

Tips For A Healthy Sex Life Post-Pregnancy

After birth, you may have a safe, fulfilling sex life. These tips may be helpful:

  • Your body may not be ready to jump back to pre-pregnancy things in the first weeks after you were cleared for sex. Take things from one day to the next. Seek intimate activities, including massage to warm up again to sex.
  • Give your vagina time to produce natural lubrication of its own. Extend foreplay, seek mutual masturbation, or participate in other pre-penetrative sex practices.
  • When your hormones readjust, you may need some help with lubrication. Check for an alternative based on water. Lubes based on oil can damage condoms and irritate tissue that is sensitive.
  • Kegel exercises help rebuild the muscles of the pelvic floor. This can help with common issues such as incontinence after delivery. You can also recover energy and feeling in your vagina by strengthening the muscles. Build the endurance with longer holds.
  • You and your partner may not have much time for spontaneity with a new baby in the house. Put the time to be together on your calendars. You’re not going to be rushed or anxious in this way.
  • Sex is different after delivery, not bad. It can be fun and exciting to do different things, but you should have an open dialog with your partner about what feels good and what doesn’t. This will allow you to enjoy sex again and ensure that there is no needless pain you can feel.

Upon delivery the body needs constant care and nutrition, and so does the infant. Sex and intimacy will fall out of couples ‘ lives as goals for different reasons. It is important, however, to keep one another’s faith alive and begin to build intimacy slowly as things begin to settle.

Also Read: Perineal Tear During Vaginal Birth

 

 

 

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