Mothering › Groups › December 2012 Due Date Club › Discussions › Sex after birth

Sex after birth

post #1 of 2
Thread Starter 

My partner had a c/s with DS1, we returned to sex at 5wks PP.  I had a c/s with DS2 and was bleeding heavily and in so much pain until 12wks (plus breastfeeding was extremely difficult until that point too), so we didn't have sex until some point after that but I don't remember when.  

This time I'm planning a HBAC.  What can I expect from PP sex?  I'm a bit scared of tearing, and scared sex will be painful, even if I don't tear.

 

Advice?  Experiences?  Reassurance?  Thanks.

post #2 of 2

Did you labor prior to your C/S?  One thing I hear from mamas is that if they labored, especially if they pushed, after a C/S they have similar levels of swelling/soreness in their vulvas as they (later) experience after a VBAC.  So if you labored and/or pushed, things might not be a different as you think.  

 

But that swelling/soreness doesn't take nearly as long to resolve as major abdominal wound healing, generally speaking.  IME, within a week or two.  The 'standard' six week injunction is not about vulvular issues per se - it's about making sure the cervix is fully closed and the womb fully involuted, which is more important in a hetero relationship where semen is being deposited through penile-vaginal intercourse.  If you have a major tear (which is unlikely) vulvular healing could take a long while; but mostly if you have a tear it's going to be a fairly minor one and it will be healed well within that 6 week window (or sooner).

 

Also just my personal experience - I had a minor tear after my first birth and had about 2 stitches to repair it.  I wish I hadn't.  The stitches didn't fall out on their own the way they were supposed to and the site of the stitches was very tender and irritated for a looooong time.  When I had a very similar tear after my second birth I thought 'well, maybe I'm just supposed to have a little tear there' and let it heal on its own.  Recovery time was MUCH faster - and I didn't tear on my third birth (although I think that was more due to position - h&k instead of partial recline like the first two births).

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