Your Partner & Your Pregnancy

Both you and your partner will have many adjustments to make throughout your pregnancy. Your old roles are changing, and you need to work to adapt to your new roles. You both may spend much of your time for each other. Try to be understanding of each other. Pregnancy is a special time for a couple, but it can also cause stress and strains in your relationship because so much is changing. Being in a supportive relationship eases the course of pregnancy and the move into parenthood.

Because all the physical changes of pregnancy are happening to you, it is easy to forget that your partner is a part of the pregnancy, too. He is making his own adjustment, getting ready to be a father. Make a special effort to include his in things. Don't shut him out. Let him be a part of your pregnancy plans. He should attend childbirth classes with you and join you in exercising, buying clothes for the baby, and getting the baby's space ready.

Your sexual feelings about each other may also change, It is a good idea to talk to each other, so that you understand how your partner is feeling and so that he understands your concerns. Talking can bring you closer and help avoid hurt feelings and loneliness due to misunderstandings. Some couples find that pregnancy brings them together and that they feel closer than ever.

Because of your increased hormone levels and the fact that your body may be more sensitive to touch, you may be more easily aroused. Many men and women find a pregnant woman's larger breasts and rounded abdomen very sensuous, Other couples find that it is harder to enjoy sex now. Especially during the first and third trimesters, when your are more likely to feel nauseated and tired, sex may seem like a big bother. Your thoughts may focus on the baby, and your sexual feelings may be pushed aside. You or your partner may worry about injuring the baby if you have sex.