Pregnancy can take a serious toll on your sex life. Hormones, illness, and your belly can get in the way of you and your partner getting busy. But when the baby comes, things will go back to normal, right? Well, that’s not always the case. Even if your doctor has given you the green light, you may not be feeling even the slightest bit frisky. If you'd rather get out than get it on, you may be worried that something is wrong. It may have even cause you to wonder, "what if I'm not ready to have sex after six weeks?"
According to The Bump, it’s a good idea to wait until your six-week postpartum visit, which is when your doctor will likely give you the OK to have sex again. This will give any scars or lacerations you incurred during childbirth time to heal and give you a chance to speak with your doctor about the best options for birth control. Women who have babies too close together have a higher risk for complications like low birth weight, as The Bump added.
Although some new moms can hardly wait the recommended amount of time, others don’t feel the desire to have sex at all. And that's perfectly normal. New moms don’t have as much time to sleep, eat, or glam up, leaving them feeling less than their best. They may have some trouble getting in the mood because they don’t feel as sexy as they did before giving birth, according to SELF. It is also common for some new moms to be apprehensive about having sex again for the first time because they think postpartum sex will be uncomfortable, as SELF noted.
In time, you'll be ready to have sex again. According to Parenting, most new moms find that their sex drive returns to something close to normal once their baby starts sleeping through the night. But you should know that even when you find yourself in the mood again, you may never have as much sex as you had before baby. Parenting noted that only 16 percent of its readers with children under age 3 report having sex three or more times per week.
So give yourself a break and allow yourself the time to adjust to your new life as mom. While you wait to get your mojo back, it can help to be honest with your partner about how you are feeling.
