Sex After Childbirth: How, When, And Why?

Now when you have brought your baby home, you are a new mother too. This is generally a time of joy and pleasure with your little one. Many new mothers, especially during this time after their childbirth are worried about intercourse just after childbirth. For those who have already given birth to their babies, it is necessary for them to know whether they should have sex just after having a baby, what they should do, what they should avoid, and most importantly when is the actual time to perform intercourse just after a mother has given birth to her baby. They should also know whether they are prepared for their next pregnancy and how soon and whether they want to use protection during the time of intercourse and how that protection should be safely used so that the woman’s health remains safe and secured.

So, here is the ultimate guide about how and when to have sex just after pregnancy.

Can sex after pregnancy be affected by childbirth?

After childbirth, you are not your previous self, you are a new mother. So, it is obvious that the type of sex you used to have earlier, that is before your pregnancy will not be the same as that you will be having now after the baby is born. But sexual intercourse just after childbirth can lead to a number of difficulties, especially for the new mother. According to recent studies and experiments it has been found that around 83 percent of women, especially new mothers have undergone a number of problems after having sexual intercourse within the first couple of months after their childbirth.

Difficulties Of Sexual Intercourse Just After Pregnancy and Childbirth:

The most common problems that have been faced by new mothers if they undergo any sexual activities right after childbirth can be listed here as follows:

• Dryness and feeling of irritation in the vagina along with the thinning of the vaginal issue
• The thin tissue of the vagina becomes in- elastic
• Mild to heavy vaginal bleeding
• Loosening of the muscles, also in the vaginal region
• The feeling of pain and soreness
• Perineal tear or episiotomy
• The lower urge of libido
• Extreme feeling of tiredness and exhaustion

What Causes These Difficulties with Sexual Intercourse After Childbirth?

As we know that sexual activities just after delivery can cause a lot of health issues and complications for a new mother, there are several reasons that might be considered responsible for these problems and complications. The major role played here is the sudden shift of hormones. We all know that throughout the pregnancy the mother goes through rapid hormonal changes that continue till the date of the childbirth. In a couple of days just after your child is born, the levels of your hormones, particularly the sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone can suddenly drop to the ones that you used to have before the pregnancy. This condition will lead to a feeling of dryness and a sense of irritability in the vagina that will cause a lack of natural lubrication in your vagina. This dryness and lack of lubrication in your vagina will lead to difficulty if you involve in sexual activities just after childbirth.

After the baby is born, it takes a considerable amount of time for these hormones to settle and go back to their optimal levels. In fact, after the delivery, the new mother takes a lot of time to recover properly. In clinical terms, this is known as post-delivery recovery. Once the recovery period is over, the mother can resume her sexual intercourse with her partner like the previous time before pregnancy, but it is highly advisable to take the advice from your health care expert before you go back to your usual sexual activities.

Sex After Vaginal And C- Section Births:

If the mother gives birth to her baby through her vagina, then it is obvious that her vagina is stretched enough due to the opening of the vaginal muscles during childbirth. But this does not ensure that the mother can perform sexual activity just after childbirth because the vaginal muscles that are already enlarged now will be taking ample time to recover. In fact, having sexual intercourse just after vaginal childbirth, particularly if the mother had suffered from an episiotomy, then it might cause severe infections in the new mother.

If the mother had a C- section during childbirth, then also it is improper to have sexual intercourse just after childbirth because the hormones are not yet at the proper levels, and sex during this time can cause a great deal of pain.

What Is The Right Time To Get Pregnant Again Right After A Delivery?

According to recent studies and experiments it has been found that a woman can get pregnant right after delivery if she gets involved in sexual activities immediately. But if are breastfeeding your baby, then you should know that your estrogen levels drop down further and acts as a protection or birth control and thus preventing an immediate pregnancy just after childbirth even if you have sex.

But if you do not want to have a pregnancy right after childbirth, even being sexually active, then you should use birth control pills or contraceptives. But one should note an important fact here, that is, use of contraceptives can be sometimes a matter of risk to the health of the new mother and can lead to a lot of complications because just after childbirth, the mother requires enough time to heal, where birth control can cause further health issues. So, before having any medication or using any birth control methods, like the use as contraceptives, you should positively take the advice of your concerned health care expert.

Bleeding During Sexual Intercourse After Childbirth:

Immediately after the baby is born, particularly through the vagina, then the vagina remains more sensitive and requires a longer time to heal. Sexual intercourse during this time can make the recovery period get delayed and can also create a lot of other complications. In general, the mother is supposed to experience some normal bleeding from her vagina in a couple of weeks just after she gives birth to her child. But if the mother gets involved in any kind of sexual activity just after childbirth, particularly if it is penetrative sex, then it might cause further loss of blood through her vagina.

As mentioned earlier, the vaginal muscles and tissues become much thinner, more sensitive, dry, and lose elasticity after the baby is born. So, if the mother performs sexual intercourse with her partner just after her childbirth, then it is possible that the muscles might get torn and can lead to profuse bleeding from the vagina.

What To Do for A Healthy Sexual Intercourse After Pregnancy:

Do you want to have sexual intercourse after you have given birth to your baby and that too without any health complications? Here are some of the tips that will be very much effective to have a perfect sex life after pregnancy by avoiding all possible health issues:

• Do not jump on: Do not rush. After you had a delivery, your body will be immensely tired after nine long months of pregnancy and the effects of childbirth will take quite a long time to recover. So, do not hurry to get involved in sexual activities too soon after delivery. Take time, become intimate slowly, and gradually boost up the process of intercourse.
• Keep on increasing the foreplay: Your vaginal will be dry and sensitive just after childbirth and will lack the natural lubrication from the pre-pregnancy period. Give it some time. After a few days, when the vagina recovers itself fully, it will have enough elasticity and it can perfectly stretch. Until then, try to avoid penetrative sex and you can practice other methods of intercourse.
• Lubricant is necessary: Make the use of lubricants a habit for intercourse after childbirth. It is better to use water-based lubricants to prevent irritation in the vaginal tissues that are still sensitive after delivery.
• Perform Kegels’ exercises: Kegel exercise is a very important exercise to perform that will effectively help you to heal your pelvic muscles after you have undergone a childbirth process and will also help in faster recovery of the vagina. Kegels’ exercises are thus very important to practice if you wish to have a disorder-free sex life after childbirth.