Most new mothers wait six weeks after child birth before they do this.

By NICKY CHAMP

Sleepless nights, postpartum bleeding, leaky nipples, pooey nappies, it’s not exactly the stuff made of foreplay but a survey has found that nearly half of new mothers wait just six weeks to have sex again after giving birth.

The study of 1507 first-time mothers, conducted by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute found that 41 per cent had tried sex within six weeks of giving birth.

Within 12 weeks, this had risen to 78 per cent and 94 per cent got jiggy with it by the six-month mark.

Not surprisingly, women who had an episiotomy or trauma were less likely to jump back into the sack within six weeks compared to those who had a vaginal birth and an intact perineum. Child-free friends, are you still with me?

Older mums and those who had a Caesarean also took longer to resume their sex lives. The study also found that sexual activity was resumed earlier than vaginal sex, with 53% resuming sexual activity by 6 weeks postpartum.

However, the paper also states that only about 10 per cent of women having a first baby will achieve a vaginal birth without intervention, tear or cut.

Ellie McDonald, from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and co-author of the research said:

“The study findings provide evidence that both method of birth and degree of perineal trauma play a role in the resumption of sex after childbirth.

“It is possible that some couples delay resumption of sex until after the 6-week check-up on the grounds of waiting to check that everything is back to normal. This may explain the relatively large number of women that resume vaginal sex at 7-8 weeks postpartum.”

I remember discussing this topic one of the first times my mothers group got together for drinks (yes, I lucked out with a fantastic group of women). After a couple of champagnes we divulged if we had (or hadn’t) gotten back on the proverbial horse. Although admittedly, it was well past the six-week mark.

How long did you wait after giving birth before having sex again? And if you are yet-to-experience childbirth have I terrified you completely?