By Dr. M A Khokar , Sexology
Do you shudder at the sheer thought of intimacy and intercourse after having gone through your pregnancy? And all of this despite having a spiced-up sex life previously? Do you find yourself feeling low as your passion and sexual desire take a back seat? Well worry not..
Conceiving a baby might have taken a toll on your libido but the good news is that this phase is transient. You would soon get back your former self and you can certainly deal with this particular phase smartly.
Let us take a quick look at the factors that might be the reasons behind your aversion towards sex:
- Exhaustion due to childbirth and surgery.
- Hormonal changes caused by pregnancy, delivery and labor.
- Breast-feeding and anemia pulling down the libido levels.
- Constant mood swings after a pregnancy.
- Tiredness or fatigue because of all the attention directed at the child.
How to deal with this?
- Give yourself some time so that your body heals completely from the rigors of the pregnancy you just went through; the body gets tired and worn down after a pregnancy and not taking proper care of yourself will only make matters worse for your libido and sexual health.
- Don’t bottle up emotions within yourself: you might feel frustrated at not being able to give yourself much time. Feel free to talk about these issues with your partner. This can help sort things and provide, at least a temporary fix to your concerns.
- Rekindle your romance by indulging in cuddling and a lot of foreplay.
- Make love only when you are ready for it; lest, it may give way to resentment.
- Build a strong support network around your partner, friends and the therapist, if any.