Preparing Your Relationship for Parenthood

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by Sam Holt

Research shows 10 percent of all couples break up during pregnancy and 30 percent break up in the first two years of parenthood. These are sobering statistics and highlight the need for you to prepare your relationship for the arrival of your baby.

The good news is that you have nine months to get to know each other again, understand what your expectations are moving forward and build on your relationship in preparation for the changes ahead.

Here are a few tips for preparing your relationship moving forward:

1. Instigate date night one night a week. Make sure you spend some one on one time together and enjoy the fact that it's just the two of you. Reminisce about the good times you've had, renew your wedding vows or just lie around in bed on a Sunday morning.
2. If there isn’t much lovin' going on watch our blogs on sex during pregnancy and spice things up in the bedroom. It may be your last chance for a while!
3. Make sure you are on the same page with key parenting topics like feeding (on demand or routine), handling crying, schooling, discipline, daycare, names...
4. Discuss how your relationship will change and how you will still make time for your relationship.
5. What are your expectations of each other moving forward?
6. Does he understand that he's going to be second to the needs of the baby in the first few months, years or forever?
7. Create a chore chart that clearly defines who will do what with the baby and around the house.

There's no doubt about it. Your relationship with your partner is about to change. When two becomes three change is inevitable. Prepare your relationship, set your expectations and your journey will be much more enjoyable.

About the authors: Troy Jones: Troy's company produced the BeingDad series and he has traveled the globe interviewing hundreds of new dads and experts. As a result we like to think of him as a "well renowned global guru in all things Being Dad;" sounds impressive anyway. Troy has a beautiful daughter Matilda, who appears in the Being Dad series.

Sam Holt: Best known for coming up with a new idea every five minutes it's little wonder that Being Dad was, in fact, his idea. Fortunately, Being Dad was one of Sam's better ideas and with the help of Troy and Tom it has grown way beyond all of their expectations. Sam has a son, Hugo, who is too cute to be his.

Tom Hastwell: Lured out of the corporate world by Sam and Troy, Tom has been bitten by the business bug. Troy and Sam are eagerly awaiting news that Toms wife is pregnant so that they can attach a camera crew to him for nine months and actually put him to work. Tom is currently practicing for kids.

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