Sex After Baby — Are Moms Waiting Too Long to Get Back in the Sack?
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Steamy new research out of a study from Australia says that most women start having sex again six to eight weeks after giving birth to their first child.
But that’s not to say that moms weren’t engaging in any kind of sexual activity. Overall, most women said they had some type of sexual contact before resuming vaginal sex — with 53 percent of women saying they had done something sexual within 6 weeks of childbirth.
After periodically checking in with 1,507 first-time mamas in Melbourne, Australia, throughout the first year of motherhood, researchers found that 41 percent of moms admitted to returning to vaginal sex within six weeks of delivery. 65 percent said eight weeks, 78 percent resumed sexual activity by 12 weeks and 94 percent of months were having sex by 6 months.
Researchers found that women who had C-sections (or had forceps used during delivery) were more likely to delay their return to the bedroom — with only 45 percent of C-section moms and 45 percent of assisted birth mothers said they were having vaginal sex at six weeks.
Women who had an incision or tear in the perineum (the region between the vagina and the anus) were least likely to have sex after six weeks of postpartum recovery — only 32 percent of women with an incision and 35 with a tear admitted to having sex just six weeks after baby.
Study researcher Ellie McDonald, of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne said, “This is useful information for couples to know before their baby is born, and may help reduce feelings of anxiety and guilt about not resuming sexual activity sooner.”
Because the study was conducted abroad, it is not clear that the findings are conclusive for women everywhere.
How long did you wait before having sex with your partner after baby?
Plus, more from The Bump:
No Libido After Giving Birth? Here’s What’s Happening
Revving Up Your Sex Life After Baby
Why You Hate Your Husband (After Baby Arrives)
The Knot Blog
The Nest Blog
I had a bad tear and I didn’t heal well. Attempting to have sex was so painful that I ended up having to have surgery to fix everything. It was 7 months before we had sex again. I was still having some pain nearly a year later so I started pelvic therapy to relax the muscles. It is a lot better now.
I had a 2nd degree tear and am still having discharge. While my husband and I occasionally have moments of cuddling or kissing, I probably feel 85% ready to get back to sex. I’ll definitely wait until the discharge has cleared up and I feel 100% down there, even if we have about 2 weeks left until we’re in the clear.
I can’t imagine waiting that long personally (no offense to those who do). Dh and I could barely wait until I was cleared at 4-6 weeks (and once we didn’t wait, oops). I was nervous the first few times, and it was painful, but made each time got better. I’m so glad we dtd sooner rather than later.