13. Pregnant Women Were Encouraged To Keep Having Sex
Aztecs of all social classes employed midwives throughout their pregnancies for the health of both the woman and baby. The midwives, known as tlamatlquiticitl, were there to shepherd women through the divine influences that could impact pregnancy in the beliefs of the Aztecs. The Aztecs believed numerous celestial events, including solar eclipses, could have profound impacts on both pregnancy and the health and status of the baby.
The tlamatlquiticitl encouraged Aztec women to continue engaging in sexual activity with their husbands up until the seventh month of pregnancy. It appears the Aztecs associated sexual activity with the vigor of the child. The Spanish friar Bernardino de Sahagun described the Aztec belief in the Florentine Codex, saying, “Because if she abstained entirely from the carnal act, the baby would be born sickly and weak.”
While sex during pregnancy has no bearing on the health of the child, we do know now that sex during pregnancy is safe and healthy for the woman. In fact, research indicates that the release of oxytocin during sex as well as the semen’s softening effect on the cervix can actually help to induce labor. The Aztecs were truly ahead of their time in encouraging healthy sexual activity during pregnancy.