and baby makes three
Pre and Post Baby Therapy
Being a Bringing Baby Home Gottman Educators provides me with extensive knowledge and experience in transition to parenthood, which will be essential in helping you and your partner navigate through this time in life.
Does this sound familiar?
Endless hours are spent discussing and picking the perfect name for your baby. You stress and lose sleep over how the delivery will go. You research and register for baby items, hoping that this specific toy, book, miracle blanket or sleep sack will make the transition to parenthood easy. We often forget to consider how a baby is going to disrupt the relationship, and how we can better prepare for that? Thankfully you are here which tells me you are ready to start navigating this transition with support.
By engaging in pre and post baby therapy, you will spend time discussing role division, sleep deprivation, conflict resolution, parenting styles and most importantly how you will stay connected as a couple. Having these discussions pre-baby is important because once the baby arrives, you may end up operating in survival mode. Having time to have long conversations has decreased and so has your patience. This has lead to conflict that seems to come out of nowhere which leads to not even wanting to talk about anything.
The best gift you can give to your children is a happy, loving relationship. I can help form realistic expectations and prepare for the enormous amount of change that will occur in your relationship, life and home. During Pre-Baby therapy we will help build and/or improve basic skills: communication and conflict resolution.
Pre or Post Baby Therapy can help you:
Navigate division of labor roles, this conversation will happen throughout your relationship, because, well, life. Together as a couple you will learn to communicate your needs and learn the importance of compromise.
Recognize the power struggles you and your partner have, and how they are destructive to the relationship.
Balance your life as a parent, your life as a couple and your life in the community.
Address differences in parenting styles. Learn how to talk about areas where you and your partner disagree. Take these moments to learn more about one another which helps in building and updating love maps. Celebrate the similarities that you do have in parenting styles.
Learn the importance of maintaining an intimate relationship, and what that means exactly (spoiler alert, it means something different for everybody). Learning how to discuss this issue is also an important component of this step.
Learn how to handle extended family. Discuss boundaries and what is best for your new family. Identify areas from your family of origin that are causing conflict within your relationship. This often becomes magnified after baby is born.
If parenting with your partner is not nearly as fun as you thought it would be, you are in the right place.
Baby Moon (ish):
Preparing for parenthood can be an exciting but challenging journey, especially for couples. It's essential to take a moment to connect with your partner before your new arrival. Consider joining me for a baby moon intensive, a three-day experience that focuses on discussing the transition to parenthood and how it may affect your relationship. Investing in your relationship will provide you with new tools and skills to help you navigate the changes that come with having a baby. Many couples spend hours researching baby gear but neglect to prepare for the impact a new baby can have on their relationship. Being intentional about strengthening your relationship before the baby arrives can set you up for success.
Most couples recognize these issues after baby is born. If you and your partner are noticing some decline in marital satisfaction and you already have a baby, it is not too late to begin to get your relationship back on track.