Pregnancy is so many things. Weird. Amazing. Scary. Beautiful. It is a time that can be a roller coaster of emotions in addition to all those physical changes. Pregnancy is a time that some couples draw closer together and some find themselves having a harder time connecting. For some couples, that connection comes from having sex.
So, let's get real about pregnancy sex! Is is good? Awkward? Funny? Sexy? Even kinky? Well, yes and yes and yes and yes! We talked to 20 people who, once we promised not to reveal their names, gave us the real scoop on what pregnancy sex was really like for them. From the best orgasms ever to the nine month dry spell, we're keeping it real about sex with baby on board! Read on for the stories that are way too relatable and some that are even a little inspiring.
At Wild Sky Media, we recognize that not all pregnancies and parenting journeys look the same. That’s why across all our sites — CafeMom, LittleThings, Mom.com, and MamásLatinas — we are committed to using inclusive language as much as possible, recognizing that all forms of parenting are valid and celebrating the shared experiences and unique differences among moms, dads, nonbinary and noncisgender parents, and all forms of caregivers.
Fun Again
"Honestly, pregnancy sex is just fun right now! It took us a long time to get pregnant and so sex got kind of wrapped up in the challenge of that. Now we can just relax and have fun again. I'm 21 weeks, so not too big yet, so hopefully we can keep going for a while longer."
Cozy But Infrequent
"Hmm, sex during pregnancy? I think I remember that? Maybe? I had pretty terrible morning sickness so we didn't have sex for most of my pregnancy. But when we did, it was cozy. Like not hot, animal passion. But soft and cozy and loving."
Mostly Solo
"I'm a military wife and my husband was deployed for most of my pregnancy. So pregnant sex was pretty much just a solo thing, or a phone sex or FaceTime situation. Between the deployment and then my recovery from birth, we ended up going over a year without having actual sex."
Best Ever
"OMG. Pregnancy sex is the best. All that extra blood flow and extra sensitive nipples means that I had the best orgasms ever. It was a very fun surprise for my boyfriend and I that I turned out to be extra horny for almost the whole time."
So Goofy
"Pregnancy sex is so damn goofy. My boobs were ridiculous but so tender that my husband really couldn't touch them too much. My belly was in the way, so we'd try all these random angles. I once had to stop in the middle because I had gas so bad. We got it done, but it was so awkward sometimes."
Savored It
"I feel like we really savored it. We did a lot of traveling in the first few months of my pregnancy and really tried to get the most out of our last days of it just being the two of us. I felt really good in my pregnancy, so we had good vacation sex during the pregnancy too!"
Nothing Changed
"I guess we were pretty lucky — nothing really changed for us until right at the end when I just got too big to want to do anything. But for like eight of the months, we had pretty much the same good sex life we've always had. Now, sex after baby? Totally different story!"
Low Priority
"Honestly, it felt like such a low priority for me. If I had to choose between sex and sleep, sleep won every time! Part of it was that the last time I was pregnant, I also had a 4 year old and an 18 month old. I was tired and so touched out already."
Extra Confident
"I loved pregnancy sex! I felt super hot and extra confident (yes, I'm that annoying woman who loves being pregnant!), and I felt so good about my body. Like, yes, husband, you do need to worship me because I am this amazing creature who is making a new human. I was kind of extra, but he liked it!"
Emotionally Complicated
"It was a little emotionally complicated at first. My wife had tried to get pregnant first and it didn't work out. So then we tried with me and it worked. She was so happy but also a little jealous (which is totally understandable) so we kind of had to work through that, especially when I started showing. It for sure affected our sex life but we are back on track now."
What Sex?
"OK, I'll keep it real — what sex life? My husband was NOT into it when I was pregnant. I think he couldn't get past the idea that there was a child, his daughter, in there and I think he just bottom line doesn't think pregnant bodies are sexy. It sucks but it is what it is, I guess."
Honeymoon Phase
"My husband and I waited for marriage to have sex and then I got pregnant on our honeymoon. So we were still right in the honeymoon phase when I was pregnant with my first, which meant that my husband really had a false sense of how much sex we'd have in pregnancy No. 2 and No. 3."
More To Love
"I was actually quite nervous about pregnancy sex. My husband and I both have bigger bodies and I wasn't sure if we'd still be able to do some of our best positions with the addition of more to love, but we talked and figured it out and it was fine. Communication is always the key!"
Frisky Time
"I 1,000% think pregnancy can still be a frisky time, if you aren't afraid to be creative. Here's my tip — a sex swing can be an amazing tool for pregnant sex! Getting my belly out of the way was helpful, even if it was a little awkward to figure it out at first! Don't be afraid to look a little ridiculous finding the positions that work the best."
Embrace the Babymoon
"We've done a babymoon before each of our three kids came and I'm so glad we did. It was nice to have that time to physically connect and to have a long weekend to have sex and relax before I hit the inevitable point where I just didn't want sex anymore (about month 7 for me, each pregnancy)."
Mood Killer
"I feel like I've always had a decent sex drive but, whew, my last pregnancy was rough in that department. Apparently being pregnant and co-sleeping with a toddler is a major mood killer. We barely had sex during my second pregnancy."
Hate It
"I feel like this makes me a bad feminist or something, but I hate pregnancy sex! I'm a personal trainer and, honestly, I feel hotter and more sexy when I'm in my regular body. I'm not ashamed of my body when I'm pregnant, I just feel like I'm not as turned on by myself. Does that sound terrible?"
Extra Close
"Oh, gosh. I was so sappy and hormonal and needy when I was pregnant, but it ended up leading to us having a really nice sex life during that time. I just wanted to be extra close all the time. I felt like I couldn't get enough of the person who helped me make a baby."
Off Limits
"I was 44 during my one and only pregnancy (yes, the good old 'geriatric pregnancy' label) and was higher risk. Sex was pretty much off limits for us. Or at least vaginal sex. I gave a lot of hand jobs. It was like being back in high school, honestly."
Phases
"I think we had like 15 different sex lives while I was pregnant. Sometimes it was great, sometimes it was super weird (like when your nipples start leaking!), sometimes it was off the table because I was too barfy. We just tried to roll with it and laugh it off when it was bad. Which it was sometimes, let's be real!"
