Читать книгу Stand and Deliver!: And other Brilliant Ways to Give Birth - Emma Mahony - Страница 26

Men do sometimes go off the idea of sex at the very end of pregnancy, however, usually when we women have finally reconciled ourselves to our fulsomeness and are suddenly prepared to test the theory of carpet burns. They also harbour fears of harming the baby in some way during a bonk, as if their huge member will puncture the amniotic sac like some Roman spear (just how big do they really think they are?). You may want to let them know as early as possible that this has never yet happened in the history of humanity. If you need to get technical, explain how a baby is protected by the amniotic sac and the walls of the uterus, and that the sperm cannot get through the mucus plug. Only if the mucus plug has come away at the start of labour should you need to refrain from making love.

Some men (and fewer women) can also find the presence of the baby off-putting in some way, as if there are three of you in on the act. This is another fear that should be winkled out and explored as early as possible, because that presence ain’t gonna go away for a while, and will be making itself known much more vocally down the baby monitor than it is now. This might be the moment to book a dirty weekend away in some bed and breakfast in Brighton. Having nothing better to do than eat, sleep and make love should flush out this fear in full.

Above all, you can no longer take your sex life for granted in your pregnant state. If you as a woman decide to take charge of the bedroom in pregnancy, and love your body in order to give birth the best shot, there is plenty of work to be done. As all the heightened hormone level shows, your body is willing if your mind will follow. Forget feeling guilty about missing the yoga class, and substitute it for a candlelit dinner for two instead. Swop the phrase ‘pelvic floor exercises’ for ‘romp on the floor’, and put a smile back on your face. Sex got you into this mess, and sex can help get you out. So what are you waiting for? Let’s go shopping.