Intimacy with your partner

When you suffering from morning sickness, it can really take a toll on your relationship with your partner. Chances are, your libido will dramatically decrease or even completely disappear.

Below are a variety of different tips that have been proven to help both you and your partner during bouts of morning sickness. It might be helpful if both you and your partner read this section in order to help during this potentially difficult time of your pregnancy.

It is important that you keep in mind that being pregnant is for a good cause, the arrival of your new baby. Depending on your symptoms, they will only last three to nine months. Take heart! At around seven months, most women will experience an increase in their libido. And chances are that by the third month, the morning sickness will begin to subside and you will begin to feel a lot better. I won't even begin to mention your labido post birth - we can deal with that another time!

PHYSICAL AFFECTION:
There are a variety of different things you can suggest to your partner, as well as printing this page for him to read. This will help him to better understand what you are going through and help you cope during this difficult period. Below are a variety of different suggestions that can help you and your partner show each other affection without having sex.

• Both you and your partner can take a warm bath together.
• You can sit in a warm pool together or go to a spa retreat
• At night, place pleasant scents in your pillow
• Do not try and pretend there are no problems. Men and women are different.

Generally speaking, men need physical intimacy and sex in order to be emotionally connected. Women however, need emotional intimacy in order to feel connected. Having said that, men NEED physical intimacy, while women do not necessarily often NEED physical intimacy and a woman’s need may last a lot longer than a man’s. Therefore, pretending that a problem does not exist will only make the man go nuts (literally).

SEX:
Many women who have battled nausea associated with morning sickness often don’t feel up to having sex. Therefore, besides having sex, you are your partner can experiment with the following Masturbation or mutual masturbation

• In order to set the mood, you and your partner can watch erotic films together. If you are more adventurous, you can try experimenting with adult erotic toys.
• A massage without sexual intercourse
• Try setting the mood with soft music, low lighting etc.
• Beforehand, enjoy a warm shower together
• To help build understanding, have a heart to heart talk
• Experiment with alternatives to sex, such as manual sex with hands, hugging, foot massages, hand holding, back rubs, gazing into each other eyes or other things that will work for both you and your partner

STRESS:
If you do not control your stress, it can have a dramatic affect on your libido. Be sure to try and use some of the suggestions on this site to relieve your stress.

OTHER GENERAL TIPS:

• Spend time together doing things that you both enjoy, such as watching movies, walking in the park etc.
• You can try exercising together
• Each week, make a date night
• Be sure to focus on communicating with each other
• Most importantly, keep the romance alive. Be sure to set time aside to make this happen. Even though you may not feel like doing anything because of the nausea.
• Be sure that you tell each other how you are feeling, especially in moments of weakness. At all costs, avoid inducing feelings of guilt and be supportive. This does not mean you have to sit down and have a heart to heart talk every day. If you do this too much, it can easily begin to feel fake and forced.
• If possible, hire help clean the house once a week. If you have other children, then consider hiring a nanny to help out. This will give you and your partner time together to experience that emotional closeness and even physical intimacy
• You can do yoga classes togethe
• For a man, it is important that you realize your partner is sick and show her how much you love and appreciate everything she is going through. You can give her small gifts, even if it is flowers you have picked by the roadside or a small note left on her pillow. Be sure to keep the romance alive, even if you can’t have the sex you desire. Undoubtedly, she will appreciate everything you do for her.