We need an honest conversation about what birth can mean for some mothers – and effective care.

Figures released as part of Mumsnet’s Campaign for Better Postnatal Care have revealed how many mothers struggle with painful sex and problems with continence months or years after their babies were born.

In Mumsnet‘s survey of women who gave birth between 2013 and 2016, more than one third (36 per cent) reported that sex had become uncomfortable for them some months after the birth, and 42 per cent said they had experienced problems with continence or their pelvic floor.