I Didn't Want Sex With My Husband After Having Our Baby

Sex is an integral portion of galore people's relationships. But for some, a nonaccomplishment of libido is communal aft life-changing events, specified arsenic gestation and childbirth, according to nan NHS.

Reality TV prima and fittingness coach Holly Hagan-Blyth says this happened to her aft having her son.

"I could person said, 'listen, if you don't touch maine ever again, I'm not moreover bothered' because that's conscionable really I felt astatine nan time," she said erstwhile co-hosting nan CBeebies Parenting Helpline.

Sex and narration therapist Rachel Gold said mothers often expect to go friendly again aft their six-week postnatal check.

"I deliberation that really fools group into believing that this must beryllium nan clip to person activity again, but it isn't true."

Holly said her activity thrust dipped aft nan presence of her boy Alpha-Jax successful 2023 and she started to debar immoderate benignant of intimacy.

"Whenever I would springiness him [her hubby Jacob] immoderate type of affection, for illustration a touch aliases a cuddle, I felt it was going to lead to nan afloat thing, to sex, and I didn't want that."

"I started having a antagonistic connotation doing thing towards him."

Being unfastened pinch her hubby helped, she says.

"As soon arsenic I said, this is really I'm feeling, 'whenever I'm cuddling you and touching, tin we conscionable not make it lead to nan adjacent thing? Because it's conscionable making maine not want to do that', and each of a abrupt everything was truthful overmuch amended because that unit was taken off."

Her hubby Jacob was worried she nary longer fancied him.

"I was like, 'you request to realise this has thing to do pinch you. I americium emotion this measurement astatine nan moment, but I don't deliberation immoderate otherwise of you.'"

"I don't really consciousness for illustration having activity correct now, aliases moreover possibly successful nan adjacent fewer months. This is my rumor that I'm going through, and I conscionable request to activity done it."

Holly hopes that couples experiencing nan aforesaid issues tin beryllium much open.

"People do opportunity nan narration changes aft having a child, but I don't deliberation that until you're successful it, you really, truly, realise really overmuch it changes."

Dr Jennifer Lincoln, a master successful obstetrics and gynaecology, says location are galore reasons why women whitethorn not want to person activity aft giving birth.

"There's a batch of treatment that happens. It takes astir six weeks for nan uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size. Any tears successful nan pussy aliases perineum are besides healing."

There are besides large hormonal changes for women which tin effect their libido.

"Levels of estrogen and progesterone driblet drastically. The little estrogen levels tin lead to beingness changes for illustration vaginal dryness, which tin make activity painful."

"People usually deliberation menopause is nan azygous astir acute displacement successful hormone levels that a female will ever experience, but really nan fewer days surrounding childbirth are."

It's not conscionable an rumor that affects mothers. CBeebies Parenting Helpline listener Frankie, who had her babe 3 months ago, said her antheral partner had gone disconnected sex.

"I dislike my assemblage astatine nan moment, and each I want is simply a spot much attraction from my partner, but he conscionable doesn't want to person activity pinch maine anymore. I consciousness stuck."

Rachel says that men sometimes struggle to beryllium unfastened astir their feelings.

"Stepping into fatherhood tin bring up each sorts of things successful a man... that could beryllium a very large facet putting him disconnected wanting to person sex."

Fleur Parker, a practitioner from childbirth kindness nan NCT, says dealing pinch these emotions is often not seen arsenic a privilege for men.

"Talking honestly to your partner astir really you're emotion tin really help; do not presume they cognize what's happening aliases what you are thinking."

• If penetration hurts, opportunity so. If you dress that everything's each correct erstwhile it isn't, you whitethorn commencement to spot activity arsenic unpleasant
• Take it gently, hormonal changes aft childbirth whitethorn mean couples whitethorn request to usage a lubricant to thief make activity much comfortable
• Make clip to relax together. You're much apt to prosecute successful intimacy erstwhile your minds are connected each different alternatively than connected different things
• Get thief if you request it. If a mother is still experiencing symptom erstwhile they person their postnatal check, it is important to talk to a section GP

Advice provided by nan NHS