It was the last session of our latest antenatal course last week and the four couples on the course were chatting about how their lives were about to change with the birth of their babies. We always have time during the course to discuss how relationships can change with a new addition as the time following birth can be stressful with men and women having to make psychological changes. The transition to becoming a parent can be challenging and disruptive as mum and dad adapt to their new roles. I gave them some tips that new parents had recently given me following a coffee morning discussion. These were
- Plan your time together as it takes double the time to do anything.
- Dads sometimes don’t appreciate how hard the mum’s day is – talk about this sooner rather than later. One suggestion was to give Dad the baby for the day so that he understands!
- Keep reminding dad of the routine you have put in place because he will probably forget.
- Keep talking, as communication is the key to a harmonious home.
- Once you have settled into being parents have a regular date night – weekly or monthly – to make time for your relationship.
- Before you have your baby try to find time to discuss how you imagine your roles will change.
The couples had time to think about who their ‘support’ people would be, to start the important task of thinking about how to make life easier after the baby is born and how to maintain a sense of being a couple. This is always an interesting topic to discuss and a very important part of our antenatal courses.
