If you’d rather not, you’re not alone – especially if you’ve had a baby in the past year.
In fact it seems many new mums would rather talk about anything else - including the weather - rather than this topic.
At a glance
- It can take a while to get your sex drive back
- Spend time building your relationship
- Focus on building your confidence
We interviewed 2001 mums asking them about their views on sex during pregnancy and after becoming a mum and here are some of the results:
- 54% of mums-to-be feel confident about sex and intimacy
- Following pregnancy, just 3 out of 10 mums feel any degree of confidence
- It can take up to a year to get back that confidence in bed
- More mums felt that there is more information regarding sex available during pregnancy than afterwards.
- 2/3 of mums would like us to help with information on sex after pregnancy.
Get your sex life back on track...
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Tiredness, limited opportunities and concerns over what it will be like can all put you off making love in the weeks following your baby’s birth, so don’t worry!
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When you are ready to go ahead, make sure you’re using contraception
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Make sure the conditions are right; baby fast asleep, both of you relaxed
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Take it slowly and gently; if it hurts, say so
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Cuddling, touching and kissing may be enough to begin with. Building it back up slowly is sensible
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Use plenty of lubricant if you need to, to make penetration easier
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If you find sex painful after the first few times, see your doctor or go to your Family Planning Clinic. You might have stitches, or a scar, that haven’t healed properly
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Use your six week check to ask about any problems you’re having with sex.