When pregnant, it’s perfectly natural to think about how the baby affects your body. You may think about your life after birth, wondering how it will affect your emotional, physiological, psychological, and sexual self. You may even feel a slight pang of loss, wondering if you’ll ever reclaim your pre-pregnancy life. That’s perfectly fine! One of the questions pregnant women and new mothers often have is: when can I masturbate or use sex toys after giving birth? That’s what this article aims to answer.
When can I use sex toys after vaginal childbirth?
How long you need to wait before using sex toys after childbirth depends entirely on your specific situation. If you delivered the baby vaginally, you must wait at least three or four weeks before engaging in any form of penetrative action — with fingers, vibrators, dildos, or your partner’s member. As such, you can use dildos and vibrators for penetrative action about three to four weeks after pregnancy. But if you don’t feel comfortable during the act, you should wait a little longer, giving your body all the time it needs to heal completely.
But just because you can’t use sex toys for penetrative action doesn’t mean you can’t use sex toys. Sex toys like vibrators and clit suckers can offer different forms of pleasure that don’t involve any penetrative action. For example, Biird’s Namii is a 2-in-1 clitoral stimulator that generates vibrations and sonic pulses to stimulate the clitoris without direct contact. Instead of simply focusing on penetrative pleasure, you can also use vibrations and sonic pulses to explore different parts of your body, such as the thighs, underarms, and other erogenous zones.
Erogenous zones are the parts of the body with a high concentration of nerve endings. Stimulating the erogenous zones can deliver all kinds of pleasure, even if you’re not stimulating the clitoris. Sexual pleasure doesn’t just have to come from the vagina or clitoris — use your entire body as a pleasure medium. Run the vibrator against your nipples, under your arms, down your thighs, and allow yourself to get swept up by the waves of pleasure. While you may have to wait a few weeks to use the sex toy in a penetrative capacity, you can use vibrators to stimulate your erogenous zones whenever you want!
When can I use sex toys after cesarian childbirth?
If you delivered your child via cesarean section, you have different challenges. In most situations, individuals who undergo a C-section need at least six weeks to recover completely. During this period, you must not do anything that can strain your abdomen or vagina. Your doctor will provide a set of post-childbirth aftercare instructions that you must follow accurately. You should probably wait at least six weeks to use your sex toy, and even more if your doctor says so. Even if you feel completely recovered, you should talk to your doctor before going ahead with penetrative actions, such as penetrative sex or masturbation with sex toys.
As for external stimulation, that depends on your doctor’s instructions and your body. You should naturally avoid stimulating the regions around the vagina and abdomen, i.e., the regions that undergo the most stress during childbirth and C-section. But it should be okay to use your sex toy to explore and stimulate other erogenous zones, such as the thighs, underarms, and nipples. However, since a C-section is a major procedure, you must get your doctor’s go-ahead before doing anything. You should stop immediately if something doesn’t feel right or causes discomfort. Ultimately, it’s important to listen to your doctor and your body.
Don’t pressure yourself to become sexually active
It’s perfectly okay for your libido to be reduced after childbirth. Regardless of the style of delivery, there’s a strong chance that having sex, masturbating, or using sex toys won’t appeal to you. If that happens, don’t feel you need to reclaim your sexual identity immediately. Listen to your mind and body — your sex toys can wait. In some cases, the loss of libido can also last several months after childbirth, even after complete physical recovery, so it’s okay if you don’t want to do anything sexual. Take your time to recover physically and emotionally.
Using sex toys after childbirth can be helpful!
If you feel emotionally and physically prepared to reclaim your sexuality after childbirth, sex toys can be incredibly beneficial. Sex toys are excellent tools to help you get more comfortable with your body and discover your new post-childbirth sensations and desires. Some individuals need a little practice and self-care before they feel completely comfortable having sex with their partners again. Sex toys allow you to stimulate your erogenous zones, discover your new desires, engage in penetrative play, and achieve orgasms without having to worry about someone else’s pleasure. It’s just you, your body, and your handy sex toy!
During pregnancy, your body goes through a lot of changes. Between weight gain, changing body proportions, scarring, and other changes, you may have trouble reconnecting with your body. It’s important to gradually ease into sexual intimacy, and sex toys are the perfect vehicles. You can use lubricants and clit suckers, like Biird’s Namii, to stimulate your clitoris, which can improve blood circulation and lubrication, helping you feel more sexually prepared. Sex toys essentially re-activate your clitoris and help you combat dyspareunia, a medical condition marked by sexual discomfort because of insufficient lubrication.
As such, sex toys essentially prepare your body to engage in sex again. You can also use sex toys during your sexual activities with your partner. If you’re not yet prepared to accept their body, which is also completely okay, you can ask them to use the sex toy on you. In these situations, sex toys can bridge the gap between you and your partner, gradually working your way back to your individual sexual desires and each other.
