Welcoming a child into a relationship is a life changing rite of passage. Navigating the transition from being a couple to becoming a family can be both joyful and extremely challenging, with research from the Gottman Institute showing that 67% of new parents report decreased relationship satisfaction. As we learn to adapt to our new roles we can find ourselves facing uncomfortable emotions as all kinds of “stuff” is brought to the surface  - it’s a wild ride! Yet if we can sit in the discomfort it’s also an opportunity to deepen our relationship with our partner.

Join us for a heartfelt conversation about how to steer the partnership through parenthood, navigating the ups and downs and everything in between.

We chat about:

• Why so many parents report decreased relationship satisfaction after a baby (3:00)
• The positive impacts of parenting on our relationships (6:54)
• The idea of “relationship myth” and how this thread continues through our parenting journey  (11:00)
• Navigating disagreements and clashing values when it comes to raising children (16:50)
• The importance of cultivating friendship as well as romance and the question that shows us we’re still committed to the relationship even when times are tough (29:00)
• Learning to allow conflict, the power of “care and repair” and why it’s helpful to get curious about our relationship process (33:23)
• The struggle in renegotiating our roles within the relationship in the early days of parenthood (40:00)
• How we can nurture ourselves (and other new parents) as we navigate the transition to parenthood(45:00)
• Learning to appreciate what each person brings to the partnership and to parenthood (50:00)
• The power of true commitment to carry us through difficult times (51:00)

… and so much more!

Resources 

• Gottman Institute 
• The Reconnected (Parenting Course)
• Esther Perel 
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
• James Hollis 
• On Marriage by Kahlil Gibran 

Connect with us:

• [email protected]
• Check out our Patreon page