ALYSSA DWECK, MS, MD, FACOG, is a full-time practicing OB/GYN at the Mount Kisco Medical Group in Westchester County, New York. She provides care to women of all ages and has delivered thousands of babies. A graduate of Barnard College, she has a Masters Degree in Human Nutrition from Columbia University and her Medical Degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, now named Drexel University. Dr. Dweck trained at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, where she was Chief Resident in 1994.
But remember, it took your body nine months to expand and adapt to the baby growing inside of you, so try to not be too hard on yourself and have unrealistic expectations about bouncing back to your pre-baby body.
Patience really is key here. As soon as your doctor permits exercise, you can start slowly getting your body back into shape.
Seriously though, girl talk time: is it ever going to look the same "down there"?
It may not look exactly the same as it did pre-childbirth, but that doesn't mean your vagina isn't going to look normal. There are some things you can do, like kegel exercises where you are helping to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and get you looking good as new.
Most health care providers recommend waiting six weeks before having intercourse after a vaginal delivery or c-section. This typically always adequate time for you to heal from a episiotomy, lacerations, bleeding, soreness or pain.
Although you can't have sex during this time, that doesn't mean that you have to entirely give up on intimacy. There are plenty of other ways for you to be intimate with your significant other that do not need to involve vaginal penetration. If you (or he) are "up" for it, cuddling, fondling, oral stimulation or mutual masturbation are acceptable.
Physical considerations aside, how do you fit in sex now that you have this insane, around-the-clock schedule? All new mothers experience some level of fatigue. It's hard to have any sort of sex drive when you are physically and emotionally exhausted. The first few weeks at home with the baby may feel like pandemonium; but you will start to get into a rhythm. It may not sound sexy, but it really is a matter of time management. Once you get your baby on a schedule, you will get on a schedule and it should slowly fall into place.
OB/GYN Dr. Aylssa Dweck tells you how you can get your sexy back post-pregnancy.
Tips for dealing with fatigue:
Although you can't have sex during this time, that doesn't mean that you have to entirely give up on intimacy. There are plenty of other ways for you to be intimate with your significant other that do not need to involve vaginal penetration. If you (or he) are "up" for it, cuddling, fondling, oral stimulation or mutual masturbation are acceptable.
Physical considerations aside, how do you fit in sex now that you have this insane, around-the-clock schedule? All new mothers experience some level of fatigue. It's hard to have any sort of sex drive when you are physically and emotionally exhausted. The first few weeks at home with the baby may feel like pandemonium; but you will start to get into a rhythm. It may not sound sexy, but it really is a matter of time management. Once you get your baby on a schedule, you will get on a schedule and it should slowly fall into place.
OB/GYN Dr. Aylssa Dweck tells you how you can get your sexy back post-pregnancy.
Tips for dealing with fatigue:
- Nap when your baby is napping
- Rely on family and friends to come and watch your baby while you get some shut-eye
- Make sure there is formula or breast milk available so your partner can feed the baby while you rest
