A new baby can have an immense impact on your relationship with your partner. Intimacy may not be the foremost thought as sleepless nights sap your energy and breastfeeding dampens your libido. There are bound to be changes in your roles, with partners taking on new tasks both in parenting and around the house.
When you are ready to have sex after having the baby, you may want consider what method of contraception you would like to use. You cannot rely on breastfeeding to protect you from becoming pregnant, even if you are not menstruating.
A lack of sleep probably won't destroy a happy and stable relationship, but it can magnify any problems you do have. Parents who are not well rested have a tendency to become irritable, depressed and unhappy within their relationships. Consider asking a trusted family member or friend to stay with your baby, so that you and your partner can plan for a night away if the sleep loss is putting stress on your relationship. By getting away, you won't be tempted to supervise baby's care or to catch up on other tasks that you feel may require attention (the garbage and laundry can wait).
Look for ways to cope with your exhaustion. These might include lightening of your workloads (both yours and his), dividing the household tasks and childcare responsibilities. You may also consider hiring someone to help you manage, such as a cleaner, gardener or perhaps a child-minder. Once baby's sleep settles into a regular routine and you start to catch up on lost sleep, your relationship problems should improve. You may be surprised at just how quickly your romantic feelings are rekindled, once you are better rested.
For some couples though, the pressures and added responsibility of becoming a new parent can lead to domestic violence, especially if the relationship is not particularly happy. Statistics show that almost a third of domestic violence begins in pregnancy. Women already in abusive relationships often reported that the abuse escalated during pregnancy.
It is believed that pregnancy in some relationships can be the trigger for domestic violence. The type of men who abuse women usually do so when opportunity presents itself. For some men, the pregnancy creates that chance. They feel that the woman is powerless to escape because they are carrying a baby.
Some abusers are jealous of the attention their pregnant partner is getting. They are insecure and feel ignored and unimportant.
Some sources have argued that domestic violence is the greatest cause of foetal injuries and deaths exceeding that of gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia.
When you are ready to have sex after having the baby, you may want consider what method of contraception you would like to use. You cannot rely on breastfeeding to protect you from becoming pregnant, even if you are not menstruating.
A lack of sleep probably won't destroy a happy and stable relationship, but it can magnify any problems you do have. Parents who are not well rested have a tendency to become irritable, depressed and unhappy within their relationships. Consider asking a trusted family member or friend to stay with your baby, so that you and your partner can plan for a night away if the sleep loss is putting stress on your relationship. By getting away, you won't be tempted to supervise baby's care or to catch up on other tasks that you feel may require attention (the garbage and laundry can wait).
Look for ways to cope with your exhaustion. These might include lightening of your workloads (both yours and his), dividing the household tasks and childcare responsibilities. You may also consider hiring someone to help you manage, such as a cleaner, gardener or perhaps a child-minder. Once baby's sleep settles into a regular routine and you start to catch up on lost sleep, your relationship problems should improve. You may be surprised at just how quickly your romantic feelings are rekindled, once you are better rested.
For some couples though, the pressures and added responsibility of becoming a new parent can lead to domestic violence, especially if the relationship is not particularly happy. Statistics show that almost a third of domestic violence begins in pregnancy. Women already in abusive relationships often reported that the abuse escalated during pregnancy.
It is believed that pregnancy in some relationships can be the trigger for domestic violence. The type of men who abuse women usually do so when opportunity presents itself. For some men, the pregnancy creates that chance. They feel that the woman is powerless to escape because they are carrying a baby.
Some abusers are jealous of the attention their pregnant partner is getting. They are insecure and feel ignored and unimportant.
Some sources have argued that domestic violence is the greatest cause of foetal injuries and deaths exceeding that of gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia.
