This post was in partnership with Foria but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
"After having my first baby, my desire to have sex with my husband dipped low. And then it pretty much stayed there through having my second child. I was too exhausted from getting up a dozen times during the night and so touched out from my adorable children pawing at me all day. Sex was something I saved for “when I had time”—and, well, there was almost never enough time.
It wasn’t until about four years into parenting that my husband and I had to have a serious conversation about sex in our relationship. Like so many moms with babies and young kids—especially this year—day-to-day survival had taken precedence. Care for my family took over caring for myself and I hadn’t been prioritizing my sexual wellness. I realized how important it was to our relationship and for me to see myself as more than a mom, but as a woman with her own needs too.
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This priority on sexual health and wellness is at the forefront of the women’s health and wellness company Foria. They believe pleasure is essential to the overall wellbeing of moms everywhere and are committed to broadening the conversation around sexual health. And guess what? I got to test-drive a few of their natural CBD sexual health products as my husband and I found our way back to each other after this crazy year of pandemic parenting.
Why is it so important to make time for sex?
Whether you are in a relationship or single, research has shown the many benefits of sexual wellness. Data connects orgasms and pleasure to enhanced moods, better immune function, better sleep, reduced levels of cortisol (the stress hormone that our body produces), and ultimately an improved sense of wellbeing. What mom couldn’t use better sleep or less stress?
Plus, research has even shown a less sexy, but still important, benefit for any mom who pees when she laughs or does a jumping jack—sex can improve bladder control by strengthening the pelvic floor.
How I started to prioritize my sexual wellness with Foria
I started with self-pleasure. Long gone were the days where my husband could walk in the room and make me want to rip my clothes off, not to mention enjoying myself with a few choice touches. After becoming a mom, I had to put in a little more work to find out how to enjoy pleasure in a body that felt surprisingly unfamiliar.
Now, I know that it’s completely normal for self-love not to feel natural all the time, especially having a few babies. So for the past few weeks every night, I’ve been trying to take at least ten minutes to wind down before bed. It could be as simple as smoothing lotion over my arms legs and arms, or if I was feeling more adventurous I would try smoothing Foria’s Awaken Arousal Oil with CBD over my most intimate parts.
Foria
First-time shoppers can use code EVERYMOM20 for 20% off full-priced items on Foria's website!
Since CBD can increase blood flow (which is a vital part of arousal), it helped me get in the mood faster and allowed me to really concentrate on my own pleasure. And since Foria has an unwavering commitment to clean ingredients and organic farming, I know their all-natural products are safe to use where I need them.
But there’s no automatic switch where you can quickly pivot from mom-mode to sexy mode. Sometimes arousal still takes time (and a little help). So I invited my husband—and some other Foria products—to the party.
Since CBD can increase blood flow (which is a vital part of arousal), it helped me get in the mood faster and allowed me to really concentrate on my own pleasure.
I tried Foria’s Intimacy Suppositories with CBD as a slow-release sexual primer of sorts. It’s great for scheduled sex nights, date nights, or really any night when you want to take your time. Sometimes I’d insert one and go upstairs to get ready for bed with my favorite sexy book, mood music, and silk sheets. Sometimes I’d call my husband up when I was ready or we’d helped each other get there.
We also tried Foria Intimacy Sex Oil with CBD. I loved this lube because it got warm so fast on my skin; again, the CBD increases blood flow. Plus, it helped with pain that sometimes happens during sex from my endometriosis. I also enjoyed that the texture was silky enough to allow us to make love without me getting sore no matter how slow and sensual (or fast and rough) we were.
Foria
First-time shoppers can use code EVERYMOM20 for 20% off full-priced items on Foria's website!
Foria
First-time shoppers can use code EVERYMOM20 for 20% off full-priced items on Foria's website!
Let’s give ourselves permission to make pleasure a priority
If you asked me a year ago about where sexual wellness was on my priority list, we would be down in the double digits at least. But after taking the time to focus on my needs as a woman, I am feeling better than I have in years (and so is my husband). The health benefits are honestly just a bonus because, ultimately, we’re having fun exploring and experimenting with pleasure together.
Through this experience, I realized there’s absolutely no shame in getting a little boost from products like Foria to better connect to my own sexual wellness. And it’s even better when something helps my husband and I better connect with each other.
First-time shoppers can use code EVERYMOM20 for 20% off full-priced items on Foria’s website!
This post was in partnership with Foria but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.