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WARNING: This site features very frank and occasionally explicit accounts of personal experiences of sex — parental guidance is recommended

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2 posted so far

  1. I had this problem too, so its actually very common. It took me almost a year for it not to hurt anymore, because I was expecting it to hurt I would tense up and make it alot worse. Foreplay is key here, and have an understanding with your partner that no actual intercourse will happen until you're ready, so you can put that to the back of your mind.”

    Posted by Emma on 1st Apr at 7:06PM (flag as inappropriate)

  2. We had sex through out both of my pregnancies. After my son was born I had stitches so we had to wait which was difficult but we managed to resolve those issues. After my daughter was born we only waited 4-5 days as her birth was much easier.”

    Posted by helen on 31st Mar at 9:31PM (flag as inappropriate)

When it hurts you tense up, and… then you get stressed out and then you tense up, and it just got worse and worse.”

Karen, 42

Sex facts

  • It is common for a woman's libido to drop after childbirth, usually due to tiredness and physical discomfort following the birth.
  • Most doctors recommend waiting 6 weeks after giving birth before re-engaging in sexual activity, to let your body recover. Always seek advice from your own GP.

Other people answering How did sex change after the birth of your first child?

  • Video by Marie

    “It got quieter for a start, less spontaneous because obviously you have another little person in the house that is taking up a lot of your energy. ”

    Marie, 39

  • Video by Graham

    “I would say probably an absence of sex for about, say, six to, to eight weeks would be normal because it’s a big thing, having a baby.”

    Graham, 42

  • Video by Jackie

    “With the first child I had post-natal depression, and it didn’t affect me where my sex life dipped, in fact I wanted more sex, and that I think was for reassurance.”

    Jackie, 51

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