In this episode of Checking In, we hear from Traci, a listener who has recently given birth and is struggling to rekindle intimacy with her husband. She wants to know: Is this normal? Carolyn shares some of her own postpartum experiences and reassures Traci that she’s far from alone. Carolyn then speaks with journalist Angela Garbes, as well as therapist and sex educater Dr. Lexx-Brown James, to learn more about the challenges, nuances—and yes!—eventual pleasure, of having sex after giving birth.

Angela Garbes is a journalist and author of Like a Mother. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Cut, New York, Bon Appetit, and has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air. You can follow her on Instagram @AngelaGarbes, and subscribe to her newsletter.

Lexx Brown-James, L.M.F.T., is a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex educator. You can follow her on Instagram @lexxsexdoc and on Twitter @lexxsexdoc.

If you’ve recently given birth, here are several articles you may find helpful:

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