Lacey* was surprised to feel differently about sex with her husband while breastfeeding her second child. “I had low supply issues with my first child so I didn’t breastfeed, and sex happened as soon as my doctor gave me the green light [at six weeks postpartum],” she says. This time around, however, at nearly two months postpartum, Lacey says she “barely wanted to be touched, let alone have sex.” And yet, she also felt like she should have been ready.
Though the cultural conversation on breastfeeding has evolved, such that formula-feeding has grown less stigmatized, breastfeeding is often still portrayed as the easiest, cheapest, and healthiest way to feed a newborn. Indeed, breastfeeding comes with a host of long-proven benefits for a baby’s health, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months followed by continued breastfeeding (alongside complementa