Here’s When You Can Give & Receive Oral Sex After A “Natural” Birth

Sex is a complicated issue — even more so after you give birth. Your doctor or midwife has likely warned you about waiting a full six weeks before resuming penetrative sex, but this news may still have you wondering about other types of sex beforehand. You might feel ready to resume sexual acts well before those six weeks or you might not, but questions still remain on your mind. When it comes to your own potential for pleasure postpartum, you might wonder how soon can I have oral sex after a "natural" birth.

When it comes to oral sex, the timeline may depend on the type of oral sex you are engaging in postpartum, according to British site Net Doctor. Fellatio, also known as oral sex that is performed on the man by the woman, is completely safe postpartum. As long as you are not uncomfortable and are feeling up for it, this may be a great way to reestablish intimacy in your relationship. Receiving oral sex, however, is a different story.

Cunnilingus, also known as oral sex that is performed on a woman by someone else, is often a bad idea for a few months after childbirth, according to the aforementioned Net Doctor article. The reasons for this is because receiving oral pleasure can introduce infection into the vagina and womb, and there have been reports of men who accidentally blew air into their partner's vagina and created an air embolism that eventually killed the woman. If you are concerned about a vaginal embolism, it may be best to warn your partner to either be very careful about blowing any air or just stay away completely for a while.

Not everyone feels the need to be so cautious, however. In a piece she wrote for Baby Center, OB-GYN Dr. Laura Fijolek McKain wrote that oral sex and other forms of "outercourse" (like postpartum masturbation) are safe a few days after delivery. Having oral sex, whether giving or receiving it, can be a good way to share pleasure with your partner while you wait for your doctor or midwife to clear you for intercourse.

McKain warns that women with an episiotomy or a vaginal laceration repair should have their partner avoid contact with that area so as to not disrupt the healing process. The important thing is to stay away from stimulation to the vagina or perineum in order to avoid a risk of infection, but strictly external stimulation (such as to the area around your clitoris) is perfectly fine.

After your "natural" birth, you may take a little while to feel recovered enough to have oral sex with your partner. However, once you are in the mood and feel healed enough to try, take it easy and have your partner slowly experiment in pleasuring you. Make sure to stop if anything feels off but, otherwise, go ahead and feel free to enjoy yourself.