How Soon Can You Have Sex After Giving Birth?

You've given birth and have an amazing newborn, and with that comes sleepless nights — not the kind that you were used to before your little one came along. Although you're exhausted as you adjust to life as a new mom, you're still you — sex drive and all. So, it's totally cool to wonder how soon can you have sex after giving birth?

According to Mayo Clinic, you can have sex four to six weeks postpartum, if and only if, your physician gives you the go-ahead. Hey, that's not that long of a dry spell. In the meantime, in order to make sex as pleasurable as possible when your doctor gives you clearance to get it on, make sure to do Kegel exercises, because vaginal delivery can temporarily reduce the muscle tone in your lady parts, according to Mayo Clinic. The stronger your vaginal muscles, the more friction you feel during penetration, the more aroused you become, and the more you will enjoy sex.

Intimacy with your partner is incredibly important in the postpartum time, according to the website Family Education, which emphasized that you're going through a lot of changes as a new mom. You and your partner might have totally new feelings about your breasts and vagina after giving birth. What used to be body parts that brought you both numerous hours of pleasure are now doing other things. It's totally normal to have mixed feelings about your vagina and breasts during the postpartum time, and even to be a little weirded out by them. Women's Health suggested you might want to explore other erogenous zones, like the base of your neck, the insides of your thighs, your lower back, and your ears.

And no, cuddling isn't always a satiating substitute for sex. However, according to Parents, there are lots of things to enjoy besides intercourse while you're waiting for the lochia (i.e. discharge of leftover blood and uterine tissue) to stop and for your vagina to heal. One thing you can enjoy, is talking about sex, even if you're not having it. Postpartum sex will inevitably be different, noted Baby Center. But the more open you are about the physical and psychological changes you're going through with your partner, the hotter postpartum sex will be when the time is right.

Think of this waiting period as a way to reconnect with your lover on a deeper level, as your hormones adjust (which takes time, and will affect vaginal wetness, noted Mayo Clinic). While you're sterilizing bottles and changing your maxi pads, think about how good it's going to feel when you have your first postpartum sex-induced orgasm.

Think of this waiting period as really long foreplay.