It’s one of those situations almost every man with a new baby finds himself in: his partner prefers to go to sleep rather than have sex.

In fact, she seems to want to do almost anything rather than have sex with you. And when it does happen she really doesn’t seem all that into it – not like she used to be.

The good news is there are things you can do which will have her wanting to have sex with you again. The tough part is it’s unlikely to be instant, and it’s going to take some patience.

When she prefers sleep instead of sex | 5 things you can do

But first of all, don’t take it personally. It’s totally normal. Her libido coming back online is more like a marathon than a sprint – you need to see beyond the moment and support her to open to you.

Secondly, you need to understand where she’s at. Most likely, she:

Is exhausted from constantly being on-demand from your baby
Is going through massive hormonal changes
Has been through huge physical transformations since getting pregnant and giving birth
If she’s breastfeeding – she’s expending as much energy as a bricklayer.

Most women are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, tired, drained, with the knowledge that the baby’s life depends on her. So if you’re wanting sex from her, it can just feel like another demand on her already stretched energy resources. Compared to nurturing your baby, sex probably isn’t high on the priority list.

So to get good sex back on the menu again (that’s the sex where she really wants it), you need to create space for her sexuality to open again.

Think of her sexuality as a young flowering bush just emerging from the soil. You don’t go poking at it to get it to flower, you water it, shelter it, feed it – and let it grow before it can fully blossom. And just like a flowering bush, it will likely have the occasional early bloom to savour while you keep tending it.

Here are 5 helpful and effective tips that can help to get her back in the mood:

Prefers Sleep Instead Of Sex #1: Ensure she has time to connect to herself

This is essential for her to feel like she can connect fully with you. She needs time without being distracted by baby, work, or being a domestic goddess – just time to feel herself.

To do this, just make time for her to be with herself:

Let her stay in bed while you make breakfast and look after your baby or toddler
Help her to get all the domestic duties done, then take your child on an adventure, leaving her with time just to be with herself
Send her out for a few hours to visit friends or do something fun – while you look after the little one (and do the dishes!).

Prefers Sleep Instead Of Sex #2: Help her sensuality to awaken again

Notice I didn’t say sexuality? This will allow time for her sex drive to flower again. She needs space to be able to open. Some practical ways you can do this are:

Give her regular gentle massages – and do not expect anything in return
Tell her you love her every day at least
Tell her what you admire about her
Put your sex drive aside and get cuddly with her – just hold her and let her feel safe and held in your arms
Find regular non-verbal ways to tell her you love her – making food, buying flowers, buying chocolates, doing the housework, etc…

Prefers Sleep Instead Of Sex #3: When you’re feeling horny, keep your sexual energy grounded!

Feeling your energy all over her and demanding something from her is a guaranteed way to shut her down – she may have sex with you, but she’s unlikely to really want it. And FYI, ‘obligation sex’ is a relationship killer. So to get practical:

When you’re feeling horny, breathe your sexual energy into the center of your pelvis, and send it down through your legs to your feet. This may sound a little odd, but it works – with a little practice you’ll be able to feel your horniness and leave her space to open to it.
Breathe her in – when you look at her and feel desire, breathe her beauty right into the center of your heart, and on the exhale feel how her beauty feels inside you – again this creates space: as well as keeping you grounded.

Prefers Sleep Instead Of Sex #4: Make regular date time

Again don’t expect to ‘get anything’ – just make time to enjoy each other. There’s an art to making dates when you have a baby.

Be willing to let go of expectations – your date could be interrupted at any time.
If you’re both feeling exhausted or at a loss as to what to say to each other – point it out and laugh about it.
Home dates after you’ve put your child or children to bed can be gold – even if it’s just half an hour. But a note on this one, this isn’t going to happen if she comes out from putting baby to bed and there’s a huge pile of dishes!
Organize family or trusted friends to look after your little one(s) – even if it’s just to go down to a café for a coffee.

Prefers Sleep Instead Of Sex #5: When she does start to open to you sexually, don’t go leaping in hard and fast!

Be gentle, tender (remember the tender young flowering bush?), and nurturing:

Listen to her body and what she needs – she wants to feel you loving her, not wanting something from her
Run your hands over her whole body not just her sexual organs
Keep your sexual energy grounded
Stay in a feeling place with her – letting your heart open to her invites her sexuality to open to you
Don’t overwhelm her with your lust
Be OK if it doesn’t ‘go anywhere’ – remember this is a marathon, not a sprint, if you can deal with your built-up sexual energy in your own time rather than needing her to release it, she’ll open to you that much quicker.

The main take away is she needs time to connect with herself before she can fully connect with you, and the more you help her with that the more she’s going to open, and the sooner you’ll both be making great love again.

For more information, check out BellyBelly’s article Why Doesn’t She Want Sex With Me After Having The Baby, which includes a list of common reasons mothers don’t feel like sex.