The Truth About Sex After Childbirth
The Truth About Sex After Childbirth
Marianne Ryan PT was recently interviewed for an article by Katrina Mitzeliotis in Glam.com on the subject of "The Truth about Sex after Childbirth"
Sex after baby can seem like a daunting topic. Not only are you recovering from childbirth, (whether you delivered vaginally or by cesarean section), but you’re also probably exhausted from caring for a newborn and even a little scared–not to mention the fact that due to hormonal changes, your libido is down. It’s normal to be concerned about the quality of your sex life–and whether or not it will ever be the same again. “I always tell women, (after they finish breastfeeding), most moms have a full return in libido and enjoy a healthy sex life again,” Marianne Ryan, PT, OCS, and author of Baby Bod: Turn Flab to Fab in 12 Weeks Flat, said.Ryan talked us through how to prepare for your first time–and what you can do to reclaim your sex life. “A lot of women express fear of intercourse after childbirth and most women have a decreased libido after childbirth for a few months, longer if they are breastfeeding,” she said. “Have very low expectations, make sure you have your doctor’s okay and, in an ideal world, a physical therapist.
Your body has to be ready for it and you have to be psychologically ready for it — and if it hurts, no intercourse. It can be uncomfortable the first or second time, but test it out.”Ryan also advises against strictly relying on kegels. Sure, doing 100 kegels a day might sound like an ambitious way to strengthen your vagina, but it doesn’t really work if you aren’t properly aligned and breathing correctly. “I find them to be a big waste of time. Some women’s muscles are really tight after childbirth, especially if they’ve had tears, so they have to first learn to relax and elongate their muscles,” she said.“The traditional treatment was to hand a woman a piece of paper and it was kegel exercises and tell them to go home and do them and they did a study that 51% of women were doing them incorrectly,” she continued. “I’ve started not teaching kegels at all, even to my pregnant and postpartum women.
I use something that I call the pelvic floor starter which includes alignment, stacking the rib cage over the pelvis, along with the right breathing techniques and then a muscular contraction. You start with a slow hold and then some quick ones.”Although the common misconception is sex may only be different after a vaginal delivery, the truth is that even women who have had C-sections experience a decreased libido and weakened pelvic floor. “Postpartum hormones affect C-section moms and vaginal moms. They can experience dryness and decrease libido. Some C-section moms can experience pelvic organ prolapse from carrying the baby and some of them go through labor and pushing prior to having a c-section,” Ryan said.https://www.glam.com/wellness/sex-after-baby-childbirth-postpartum-sex-life/
You can read the fill article HERE