Child development and other things celebrated with sex in Nkore culture

Did you know that a long-held tradition in Uganda’s Ankole culture, required a woman to lie with her man only four days after giving birth?

In traditional Nkore, in western Uganda sex was more than just an act of intimacy between married couples—it was a ritual deeply woven into the fabric of child-rearing and family life. 

Several major milestones in a child’s development were marked by a couple engaging in sexual relations, reinforcing cultural beliefs about fertility and family continuity.

For instance, four days after childbirth, a woman was expected to have sex with her husband to honour the arrival of their newborn. 

And this was only the beginning. Other key moments—such as the baby’s naming, seating, the appearance of the first milk tooth, crawling, and taking the first steps—were all celebrated in the same manner.

Researchers found a few decades ago that in total, there were over twenty such occasions where sex was considered a customary way to celebrate the child’s progress.

Unlike in many West African societies where post-partum abstinence was encouraged to allow for child spacing, in Ankole, women were culturally required to resume sexual activity within days of giving birth. 

This tradition increased the frequency of intercourse among couples, contributing to high fertility rates in the region.

A Culture Rooted in Fertility Expectations

According to a study by James Ntonzi and John Kabera titled Marriage Patterns in Ankole, South-Western Uganda, these customs played a crucial role in shaping Ankole’s demographic trends. 

A woman was expected to start bearing children immediately after marriage to prove her fertility and avoid the risk of being labeled barren or even divorced.

Additionally, there was no cultural practice that allowed for natural birth spacing. Instead, the customs of resuming sex soon after childbirth and marking each stage of child development with sexual relations meant that many women conceived again within a few months. 

This pattern contributed to Ankole having the highest fertility rate in Uganda for decades. In 1985, the total marital fertility rate in the region was estimated at 11.7 children per woman—one of the highest in East Africa.

Over the years, however, these practices have gradually faded. The most recent Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) reports that the fertility rate in Ankole has declined to 5.4 children per woman—still high but now slightly below the national average.

Factors such as improved education, access to contraception, urbanization, and changing cultural attitudes have contributed to this decline. More women are now embracing family planning methods, and the tradition of celebrating child milestones through sex has diminished in many areas.