here - Health Promotion Agency
here - Health Promotion Agency
here - Health Promotion Agency
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Feelings and relationships<br />
‘You’ve got a bond<br />
between you. It’s<br />
something that belongs<br />
to both of you.’<br />
‘Sometimes it draws us<br />
together and sometimes<br />
it sets us apart. When<br />
we first found out<br />
about the baby, we<br />
were on edge. We<br />
snapped at each<br />
other a lot. Then it<br />
got better. We really<br />
wanted each other and<br />
we were really looking<br />
forward to the baby<br />
coming. It’s up<br />
and down.’<br />
understandable reasons for the<br />
odd difficulty between you and<br />
also good reasons for feeling closer<br />
and more loving.<br />
One practical question you will<br />
need to discuss is how you will cope<br />
with labour and whether your<br />
partner will be t<strong>here</strong>. Many fathers<br />
do want to be present at their baby’s<br />
birth. The chapter on Labour and<br />
birth (page 89) gives some<br />
suggestions on ways in which fathers<br />
can help and what it can mean to<br />
them to share this experience.<br />
S EX IN<br />
PREGNANCY<br />
Many people worry about whether<br />
it is safe to have sex during<br />
pregnancy. T<strong>here</strong> is no physical<br />
reason why you shouldn’t continue<br />
to have sexual intercourse right<br />
through a normal pregnancy, if you<br />
wish. It doesn’t harm the baby<br />
because the penis cannot penetrate<br />
beyond the vagina. The muscles of<br />
the cervix and a plug of mucus,<br />
specially formed in pregnancy, seal<br />
off the womb completely.<br />
Later in pregnancy, an orgasm, or<br />
even sexual intercourse itself, can set<br />
off contractions (known as Braxton<br />
Hicks’ contractions, see page 90).<br />
You will feel the muscles of your<br />
womb go hard. T<strong>here</strong> is no need<br />
for alarm as this is perfectly normal.<br />
If it feels uncomfortable, try your<br />
relaxation techniques or just lie<br />
quietly till the contractions pass.<br />
If you have had a previous<br />
miscarriage, ask your doctor or<br />
midwife for advice. Your doctor or<br />
midwife will probably advise you to<br />
avoid intercourse if you have had<br />
heavy bleeding in pregnancy, and<br />
you should definitely not have<br />
intercourse once the waters have<br />
broken (see page 90) since this<br />
risks infection in the baby.<br />
While sex is safe for most couples<br />
in pregnancy, it may not be all that<br />
easy. You will probably need to<br />
find different positions. This can<br />
be a time to explore and experiment<br />
together. The man on top can<br />
become very uncomfortable for the<br />
woman quite early in pregnancy, not<br />
just because of the baby, but because<br />
of tender breasts as well. It can also<br />
be uncomfortable if the man’s penis<br />
penetrates too deeply. So it may be<br />
better to lie on your sides, either<br />
facing or with the man behind.<br />
Many couples find that a position in<br />
which the woman is on top is most<br />
comfortable.<br />
Some couples find making love<br />
extra enjoyable during pregnancy<br />
while others simply feel that they<br />
don’t want to have intercourse and<br />
prefer to find other ways of being<br />
loving or of making love. It’s<br />
important to talk about your<br />
feelings with each other.<br />
42