Maia Dunphy has opened a can of worms by bringing up the idea of “maintenance sex” on her blog The M Word earlier this month.
Maia and her husband Johnny Vegas welcomed a baby boy last year, and the tv producer decided to tackle this taboo with a group of mums to get the conversation started about returning to sex post baby.
Speaking on The Anton Savage Show on Today FM this morning, Maia explained that the term “maintenance sex” came up a lot during the discussion, stating that “it means the kind of sex you have with your partner to keep things going, out of a sense of duty.”
Since her reveal of the phenomenon, the mum-of-one has had countless emails from other mums telling their tales of maintenance sex.
Speaking on the morning radio programme, Maia told of the numerous reasons why returning to sex after having a baby can be tough- mainly focusing on tiredness and body hang ups.
She said, “There were many shared stories about pretending to be asleep, bringing baby into bed just to keep him away, and the more physical side – it wasn’t always the tiredness that put them off the idea of sex, but often also body hang ups – stretch marks, scarring and sagging.
“This may sound terribly depressing, and as women, this concept goes against everything we are told about love and consent, but in this hazy, post baby world, it’s not that simple.”
We love that Maia is speaking out for regular women!
