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The road to recovery
When can I...
Have sex? 'The answer to this is, when you feel ready,' says Zita West. There is no pressure. Your midwife will check you after 6-8 weeks to make sure everything is back to normal. It's common for women to want to rush straight back into pre-pregnancy routines, but give yourself time, especially if you had an episiotomy - uncomfortable sex is very distressing, both physically and psychologically. 'Bear in mind that prolactin, the breast-feeding hormone, is nature's anti-aphrodisiac and, if you are feeding your baby, you may not fancy sex for 3 months or more,' adds Dr Sarah Brewer. This is perfectly normal. Less than 20 per cent of couples resume sexual activity in the first month, but 90 per cent do so by 4 months.
Use tampons? 'I'm not a big fan of tampons, postpartum or otherwise - I don't think it's healthy to stop the flow of blood,' says Zita West. 'Ideally, you should let your blood flow get back to normal. I would advise sanitary towels in the months after giving birth, but if you do use tampons make sure they're organic.'
Wear a g-string? Good news for those of us who never liked them anyway, Zita recommends 'big pants' for at least the first six weeks. 'G-strings can increase the chance of recurrent infection or irritate the healing process if there is an episiotomy scar. The same goes for tight jeans or trousers,' she advises.
Eat my favourite food again? 'You can eat most of your favourite foods again after giving birth,' says Zita, 'But be cautious if breastfeeding - peanuts might not be a good idea, for instance, as you don't want to trigger an allergy. Check with your healthcare practitioner.'
Use scented bath products? Zita recommends caution. 'These can irritate any scar tissue and lead to infection in an area that's pretty battered and bruised anyway,' she says. 'Ideally, wait until everything's healed up properly.'
For more information on the Zita West Clinic, which offers pre-conception, pregnancy and postnatal care, call 020 7224 6091. For Zita West products (all the essentials before, during and after pregnancy) call 0870 1668899 or visit www.zitawest.com
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