Is There Life After Birth? - The Question of Sex Revisited

Sexual relations during pregnancy can be challenging enough. For the adventurous couple, sex during pregnancy can lead to new levels of pleasure and intimacy. For the uncomfortable couple sex may be a fond - and increasingly distant - memory throughout much of pregnancy. But what about sex after delivery?

On the face of it, things promise to get better pretty quickly. Most physicians caution that at least six weeks of abstinence are required after a normal, vaginal delivery, in order to give the female tissues time to heal and return to a more normal, sexually receptive state. While six weeks may seem like an agonizingly long time to the sex-starved male, this minimum period of post-delivery abstinence is actually a best-case scenario. In reality many women experience complications ranging from the slight, such as unexpected perineal tearing, to the dramatic, such as Cesarean section.

Obviously women who have undergone Cesarean section will require longer to recuperate. But there is more to the return to "normal" pre-pregnancy sexual relations than simple, physical healing. The simple fact is, most women will not be ready for sex within six weeks. While she may attempt to accommodate your eager advances on day one of the seventh week, don't be unduly disappointed if your wife doesn't quite seem to be "there" for you. It's neither her fault, nor yours. Blame it on the pregnancy, if you must.

While it may seem that the trials of pregnancy are finally safely behind you, the fact is, they are not. Your spouse's body, as amazing and resilient as it is, needs a great deal of time to return to "normal." In fact, some physicians insist that it may take up to a year before she feels like her old self again. From a lack of vaginal lubrication to a total lack of libido, your spouse may simply be unable to become aroused as soon as you might like.

The infant that has newly entered your lives will forever change the dynamic of your relationship. He or she demands, and requires, constant attention. Providing it will force you and your spouse to make adjustments. Especially in the first few months of life, your infant is likely to interrupt your sleep so severely that your spouse, or yourself, or both of you, will experience a weariness ranging from fatigue to utter drop-dead exhaustion.

It's difficult to engage in love-making when you can hardly keep your eyes open. It's even more difficult to make love when your ears are fine-tuned to pick up the slightest peep. Ardor often fades rapidly when interrupted by crying.

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