Intimacy in a Postpartum World

Family Man®
"Intimacy in a Postpartum World"
By Gregory Keer

Back when my wife was about to give birth, I worried about - me. Aside from my excitement about the arrival of our third child, I thought about the future of my life in the bedroom.

Having been through two other post-partum periods, I was experienced with my wife's need to physically heal, emotionally recover from carrying the child, and adjust to the level of unselfishness required of motherhood. I knew that I should be a team player, giving up much of myself to help nurture and feed the baby while juggling the management of the older kids. I'd done it and felt happy to do it again. Yet I was in a near state of panic about losing my nookie for the foreseeable future.

I can hear the groans (no pun intended - well, maybe it's intended) from the women out there who are already anticipating the whining about a guy's physical needs. Married ladies - in fact, much of the female population - are veterans of lines like, "Baby, I can't help if I need it more often than you;" or "Really, it will only take a few minutes;" and "I can't help wanting it Ôcause you're one hot mama."

In truth, though, I knew that following the baby's birth, I would survive the first six to eight weeks without much contact. But what would happen to my bedroom life for the next year and beyond?

Once again, based on experience, I realized that my wife - like many other women out there - had an interest in using the bed for something more than sleep (though that would be nice, too) and breastfeeding. So, without further foreplay, here is some insight for women who'd like to return to intimacy with the father of their children.

1. Beat the Stress Factor

What remains absolutely true is that guys usually take about 0.5 seconds to become excited and they get randy when they're tense. A lot of women take longer to feel in the mood and have little interest in physical affection when they're stressed. Considering the fact that pressures build to all-time highs in a household full of kids, the lady in the picture can raise the likelihood of more than a kiss goodnight by using one magical trick: communication. Rather than be surprised and put off when the hubby jumps you as soon as the kids go to sleep for the night, a woman should try calling her partner in the middle of the day and tell her husband she loves him - and his body. Give him a kiss before you sit down to dinner. Then, before you watch TV, do bills, or slog through more work, try slightly more intense overtures to get things going. Your man will have no problem reading the signs that you want some action, and he will also understand the pace you need. You certainly should suggest to him some quid pro quo by asking him to do the phone calling and slow seduction, but modeling the behavior increases the chances he will do it. Once it gets past 9pm or so, your chances are pretty slim. Exhaustion saps the energy of just about anyone, especially an overworked mom like you. So, start earlier if you want to get in before you feel like closing the shop for the night.

2. Back to Dating

You know all that courting you did when you were first dating? Well, children act like little reset buttons that send you back to the beginning of your relationship. That's why, when your guy tries to get spontaneous, you often respond with, "Not so fast, mister. We hardly know each other." Actually, after working and wrangling children, you may look at your partner like a stranger. To keep things more familiar, try talking on the phone, email, or IM two to three times in a given day, especially a day you're hoping to end rolling around in the sheets. The advice to talk more is really applicable to anything in your relationship, but it truly works here. When you talk, cover the kid category as usual, but also mix in some grown-up stuff - about movies, current events, how good he looked when you last saw him in the morning -- all the things you used to chat about when you were dating. In this way, you can slip right back into each other's romantic graces.

3. Keep a Calendar

This suggestion comes up repeatedly, largely because it works. For busy people with dawn-to-dusk responsibilities, a calendar keeps you organized. Isn't physical affection a requirement of two grown-ups in a committed relationship? Most people would say yes, so the idea of scheduling a bedroom rendezvous makes perfect sense. While the calendar may seem business-like, you can have fun with the concept. Make sure that you call your husband to confirm the appointment - twice. Perhaps you can even be sure you both understand the "meeting agenda" (phone foreplay can never be underestimated). If, for some reason, the appointment needs rescheduling, consider a makeup that doesn't cancel out your next appointment. The benefit of calendar booking is the assurance of regular intimacy.

4. Get Away

Speaking of scheduling, plan a weekend away. Even one night at a motel down the street will do. The time away from the kids is essential to recharging the love life. To accomplish this, book the trip and set up the itinerary, or at least alternate the planning responsibilities. On that itinerary should be time to just be in the hotel room a fair amount to increase the likelihood, if not the occurrence, of unclothed activity. Consider going to different destinations or make it the same hotel every time. Try to plan for this twice a year. It's worth it because it gets you back in touch with each other. It's an old mantra, but scheduling a regular date night can keep the romantic energy flowing as well.

5. Get it Any Way You Can

Let's be honest. The opportunity for a whole night of wild activity is going to be rare. Also, the time for it may not always be there either. Make sure you ponder the definition of physical satisfaction for yourself and your partner so that everything from a serious make-out session to making love twice in the same day works for you. Simply watching TV naked, without having more happen (though that might increase the chances), can put enough affection in your week to keep you going.

Hopefully, these suggestions provide you - and the guys involved in the equation - with ways to not only get more physically active, but receive all the benefits of increased intimacy. As much as men like to pretend that all they care about is the big climax, there are a lot of men who simply want to keep the relationship communication and spark burning bright. Play into that and you'll reap the rewards of a happy man.

© 2007 Gregory Keer. All rights reserved.

BIO: Gregory Keer is an award winning syndicated columnist, educator, and on-air expert on fatherhood. His Family Man® column appears in publications such as L.A. Parent, Boston Parents' Paper, and Bay Area Parent. In addition to writing for Parenting magazine and the Parents' Choice Foundation, Keer publishes the online fatherhood magazine, www.familymanonline.com. He also contributes to the Fox News Channel, Washington Post Radio, USA Today, Newsday, and Pregnancy.org. He and his wife are the proud and frequently outsmarted parents of three sons. Keer can be reached at www.familymanonline.com.