Renegotiating sex and intimacy in early motherhood; a positive depiction?

Middleton, Amy (2018) Renegotiating sex and intimacy in early motherhood; a positive depiction? University of Brighton. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Upon entering motherhood, women are likely to experience considerable changes to their social role and sexual relations (Woolhouse et al, 2014). The biomedical approach indicates women may lose their sex life due to experiencing intense physiological effects following the labour of their child, including, but by no means limited to; vaginal tearing, milk leaking breasts and extreme fatigue from a restless baby (Kitzinger, 1985). Further literature explains the importance of the partner during these times (Woolhouse et al, 2014), whilst Montemurro and Siefken (2012) explain the pressure to be sensible and mature will lead women to a withdrawal of sexual activity. However, despite all of this, some mothers experience a positive postpartum sex life and this study aims to highlight the reasons why and how these are being negotiated. Employing qualitative research methods, five women were interviewed using a semi structured schedule and thematic analysis allowed the researcher to reflect and generate meanings from the participant’s experiences. This analysis produced five themes with three key themes bringing originality to the literature. Firstly, women are still having sexual thoughts thus challenging the biomedical foundation of penile-vaginal intercourse and calling for a clearer definition of sexuality. Secondly, women can use their sexuality as a means of power and control over a life that has changed beyond recognition, challenging the ideas around postpartum pressures documented in current literature. Finally, new mothers can experience sex and orgasm as a stress relief. This paper concludes that the biomedical approach and the sex positive perspective need to meet on this subject and calls for further research on the stress benefits of orgasm to be placed directly within postpartum studies as this can be a peak stressful time. This unified approach will be helpful for midwifes, healthcare advisors and sex therapists alike, in order to promote sex positive conversations in to the new mother’s life.