New mum exhaustion

As a final crunch, your sex life may have dwindled to nil. The vast majority of couples don’t have a regular sex life after the baby’s born – through exhaustion, post-labour soreness, or lack of time. So while in the past you may have smoothed over the odd argument by a passionate session between the sheets, now you don’t – and that, too, may start to drive you apart.

What to do about relationship exhaustion

• Don’t think it’s the end of the world if your relationship wobbles. It’s reversible.
• Talk to each other – understand how he feels, explain to him how you feel.
• Get him helping with the baby even if he needs directing to begin with. The more involved he is from the start, the better.
• Make time to be romantic – get a sitter and get out, or light candles then snuggle up on the sofa together.
• Keep reminding each other that you care. You need to feel loved in order to love each other.
• Get sex back into your relationship as early as your doctor allows. Even just an erotic snuggle will start to re-establish your bond.
• If things start to get too hard, go along to Relate. The earlier you tackle relationship slide, the easier it is to fix. Contact Relate on 01788 573241 for details of local counsellors.