The physical and emotional demands of coping with a baby can make it very difficult for a new mother to feel romantic for a while. One breastfeeding mother told me, ‘There are some days when I’m sick to death of being constantly on duty. No sooner do I finish one chore than there’s another just waiting. Sometimes after a day like that I get into bed and Geoff lets me know he’s in the mood and I can’t stop myself from thinking, “Oh no, not another chore before I get to go to sleep!” I just think that there are times when I need to have my body to myself for a while, you know.’
Jean said, ‘We have had four children now. The oldest is thirteen and the youngest is three. After the first two I could see a pattern in my sexuality, so I worked out that even if it took eighteen months, things eventually got back to normal. I just wish I’d had someone to talk to before I had the first baby, so I wouldn’t have been so distressed about it. I can see now that we’re closer and more secure than ever, even though there might be months when we don’t have sex at all.’
*106\17\9*
