Mikveh postpartum
Thank you so much in response to my last question. Your answer was very helpful in understanding the situation. I also have another question, if you don't mind. I am pregnant, and a week over due. I will be induced in 4 days. What I would like to know is how long after the birth of our child can we resume relations together? I know this answer varies if it is a girl or a boy. If you could help me out with this I would thank you very much. (and can we sleep in the same bed, under the blanket or out of the blanket?)
Dear questioner,
Thank you for your question.
We welcome any questions you might have.
You are correct that the Torah stipulates different waiting periods for a boy or a girl. However, subsequent rabbinic enactments require that begin the process of becoming tehorah only after postpartum bleeding has ceased. As most women bleed for a number of weeks after childbirth (the median is 3-4 weeks), it is very unusual for there to be a difference in real life between a boy (where the minimum time before mikveh immersion is 12 days) and girl (where the minimum is 14).
Like all women, the yoledet (woman who has given birth) must perform a hefsek taharah and count seven blood-free days (shivah neki'im) before she immerses in the mikveh. She may perform her hefsek taharah as early as the fifth day from the onset of her niddah status. If she gave birth to a girl, however, she may not immerse in the mikveh until 14 days have passed since the birth. As we said, most women actually immerse much later, since the hefsek taharah cannot be performed before all bleeding has ceased. A woman may immerse once her clean days are complete, whether or not she is ready to resume relations immediately.
Until the woman has immersed, all the laws of niddah apply, including not sharing a bed or blanket. This can be a challenging period. You may find some of our answers posted on the site to be of help. One example is "Harchakot Postpartum" BeSha'ah tovah!This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases.
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