Bringing Baby Home

A workshop to help new parents with the transition to parenthood…

Lots of joy… but challenges, too…

Bringing a new baby home is one of the most exciting, life-changing experiences that will happen in your life, both as an individual and as a couple.

It will also be one of the most exhausting, depleting events that will challenge your sense of self, beliefs, and YOUR RELATIONSHIP!

Two-thirds of new parents experience tension, conflict, stress, and unmet expectations when bringing baby home.

Preparing (or trying!) for baby to take center stage…

There is absolutely no way for us to know how dramatically our lives will change once baby arrives. We have classes to prepare for the birth of our little ones… but nothing to prepare for everything that changes after baby.

It all changes: your identity, your relationship with spouse, your friendships, your body, your goals… your expectations! Sex, romance, passion… they can become a distant memory. You and your partner were friends… lovers.

Now your conversations are interrupted by hungry screams and diaper changes and serious discussions about who’s going to wake up with baby in the middle of the night.

About that fatigue…

Did you know that if you are deprived of sleep long enough that you can become clinically and biologically depressed?!

When we’re exhausted, we lose all humor and just can’t cope as well. In our relationships, we feel out of control and lonely. Our fuses are short.

This DOES NOT mean our relationships are bad… it just means we are going through a huge transition in our lives – and we are tired!

Sometimes “back to normal” isn’t without challenges.

Your list of to-dos is endless. Your short spurts of time off to connect as a family is coming to an end.

Taking care of baby, keeping up the house, maybe taking a shower once in a while… these things were difficult when you were both home, what happens when reality hits, bills need to be paid, and life goes “back to normal”?

Well… the definition of “normal” is now fluid. The challenges are evident, so how are you going to deal with them?

Even though you and your partner have more to do, you can both feel more and more unappreciated – and the intensity of conflict can increase.

Moms typically become more involved with baby and have less to offer their partners emotionally and sexually. If there is conflict, dads may withdraw, work more, and feel less connected to baby.

Your relationship has serious effects on your child…

… on his or her development and ability to emotionally regulate. According to John Gottman, psychologist and expert on marriage, divorce, and parenting:

“Parental irritability, hostility, and fighting lead to poor parent-child interaction. This in turn creates a dangerous emotional climate for babies.”

We now know that even minor signs of untreated depression in parents have profound effects on babies. Infants of these parents often withdraw, at first just from fathers and later from mothers. They are at greater long-term risk for developing emotional, cognitive, and behavioral problems.

Recognizing these obstacles, deepening your friendship with your partner, managing conflict, sharing values and being proactive about building a foundation of tools for keeping your relationship and family healthy…

This is such an amazing gift you are giving to yourself and your child!

What you’ll learn…

The goal of BBH is to equip you with the knowledge and skill sets needed to constructively cope with the various changes that typically occur during the first three years after your baby is born.

In a relaxed and supportive environment, you and your partner will learn how to:

• Strengthen your friendship
• Work through conflict with greater ease
• Maintain relationship satisfaction
• Reduce relationship hostility and increase affection
• Create positive baby-child interactions
• Promote quality involvement for both parents
• Reduce the incidence or severity of postpartum mood disorders

Not only will this program teach you what to expect during the transition to parenthood, it will also help you do things like:

• Better understand child development in the first year
• Create co-parenting strategies with your partner

Learn ways to improve communication and connection

• Improve the way you and your partner recognize signs of postpartum mood, anxiety and adjustment disorders and gain awareness of treatment options

What you’ll get…

You’ll receive the official Gottman workbook and card-deck. The workbook features over 250 pages of in-depth information, insights, examples, and exercises.

These official resources are designed to be used in conjunction with the workshop and to learn the strategies and skills to make a successful transition to parenthood.