Heinz - Tinytums

Sleeping together

So you’re going to be a father and just knowing this has probably turned your world upside down.  Excited, confused, scared?  You may feel all three at once but don’t worry, mixed emotions are perfectly normal, as is a deep concern for your partner and your unborn baby.

With months of pregnancy ahead, one thing you probably wonder about is having sex – will your partner be interested, is it safe and will it hurt the baby?  Many couples make love right through pregnancy while others, with problem pregnancies, may have to show their affection in other ways.  Talk candidly to your partner about sex so that it does not become an issue.  It’s a question of understanding and adapting.

During the early and later months your partner may not feel like sex, being first too queasy and then too heavy and tired.  However, in theory, the extra oestrogen in her body should give her libido a boost around the middle months of pregnancy.  If that happens then make the most of it.

Conventional positions for love-making may no longer be comfortable in the later stages, so investigate new positions.  As long as your partner has not had a ‘show’, where the mucous plug blocking the entrance to the cervix comes away, gentle love-making will not harm your baby.

If your partner has gone past her ‘due’ date there is evidence to suggest that sex can trigger labour – it might be worth a try.