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You and Your Partner

Having a baby may have an impact on your sex life, at least for a while.

You may have found that you were ready to make love again very shortly after the birth. Alternatively, perhaps you had tears or stitches that needed to heal before you felt ready or relaxed enough to have sex. Many couples find it’s months, rather than weeks, before their sex life is really back to normal. Being in such close contact with your baby all the time might make you feel you want a bit of space, and an understanding partner, rather than a sex life! Add to that the fact that you are probably feeling tired and the idea of a good night’s sleep (if there was ever a chance of that!) is more appealing than making love.

So all in all, sex may not be the first thing on your mind. But you’ve nothing to worry about, so long as you and your partner are able to talk freely and explain how you are feeling. Once life starts to become more normal, you should find that you want to make love again.

So all in all, sex may not be the first thing on your mind. But you’ve nothing to worry about, so long as you and your partner are able to talk freely and explain how you are feeling. Once life starts to become more normal, you should find that you want to make love again.

If you find sex painful, see your doctor or go to your Family Planning Clinic. You might have a scar that hasn’t healed properly.

Contraception check
If you’re exclusively breastfeeding, your periods may return at around six months when you start weaning.

But remember, you can become pregnant before your periods have returned, so unless you want your babies extremely close together, it’s important to use contraception every time you have sex.

For the next You and your growing baby guide Chapter, Yum yum: first solid foods, Click here