Question:
Hi,
I asked a question last week on 12/30/2022 titled “Mikva Thara” and I really appreciate the response.
However, the question gets a bit more detailed. The response was my wife should go to the Mikva and no need to wait another month for her postpartum appointment to get an approval from the Dr. assuming that everything is ok. The question is, can my wife go the Mikva now that’s she’s 6 weeks after giving birth and is clean for a couple weeks but we will not do the Mitzvah until she sees the Dr.? (The reason is because she needs to get and discuss birth control options with the Dr. which won’t happen before her appointment) so it would be for the sake of being able to touch and making daily life easier.
Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for clarifying your question.
If you are not afraid that doing the mitzva may be dangerous for her, she should go to the mikva, even though you choose not to fulfill it right now. There is a good reason to go to the mikva for everything else.
As a side point, before speaking to your doctor about the type of birth control, you should speak to your Rov if you may do birth control at this time. I don’t know your personal situation, nor how many children you have, however one should not choose birth control, nor the type of birth control on their own without first consulting with a competent Rov about it. There are a number of halachic aspects involved here. The first one is that we have a mitzva of pru urvu which is a mitzva d’orayso, and even after having a boy and a girl, there is a mitzva of sheves, (to populate the world) which is considered a d’rabonon. Before a person has fulfilled pru urvu, he should not miss the oppourtunity to fulfill the mitzva, unless your personal situation warrants it.
Aside from this, some types of birth control can involve wasting seed, which is also an aveiro. Therefore, before speaking to your doctor, speak to your Rov, get guidance from him, and then you will be more adequately prepared to discuss the topic with your doctor.
Best wishes
