Preparing Your Relationship for Parenthood: The Benefits of Early Couples Counseling

Shows a queer couple preparing for their child. Represents how  online therapy for couples in california can support couples prepare their relationship before their child arrives.

You and your partner have found out that you are going to have a child. This is a beautiful moment that you both have been eagerly anticipating, and the joy of bringing a new life into the world together is powerful and, at times, overwhelming. It’s a monumental change, and there are many adjustments you and your partner will need to make.

You both have parent friends and family members who have gone through the same transition. They’ve shared stories of the increased emotional and psychological load, the daily struggles for a satisfying work-life-family balance, the trouble spots that have affected their partnership, and the added obstacles that capitalistic systems throw in the path of parenting. This is why you and your partner have wisely decided to seek couples counseling before your child arrives.

Your Lives Are Changing and So Will Your Relationship

Shows a couple lovingly staring at the partner's pregnant belly. Represents how couples therapy for parents in pasadena, ca can help couples work through issues in their relationship before their child comes.

You and your partner have spent years cultivating a relationship built on trust, respect, collaboration, and communication. You have come to understand each other's needs, strengths, and weaknesses, and together you’ve created a foundation upon which your family can grow. However, when a new member of the family is introduced, one who is fully dependent upon you both, things change, sometimes dramatically.

It's normal for couples to argue more, have trouble connecting, and experience a decline in intimacy when starting their journey as parents. These are natural responses to the stress of an added set of expectations and responsibilities; the sudden drains on time, energy, and money; and the many societal factors working against parents and caregivers. But by working with an experienced, trained couples therapist, you can be proactive in preparing for and adapting to this wonderful, complex stage in your lives together.

Early Couples Counseling for New Parents

Shows a happy couple during online therapy for couples in california. Represents how couples therapy for parents in pasadena, ca prepares soon-to-be parents and their relationship to be on the same page before baby arrives.

This time before the baby arrives is usually spent preparing your home space with all the necessary gear and accessories. This is important, but preparing your relationship so it can nurture a cohesive and emotionally supportive home environment is just as important. Early couples counseling encourages you to discuss the goals and expectations you have for yourselves, for each other, for your relationship, and for your new family life. You can address issues and challenges that need attention now, because they become more difficult to address—and, often, are exacerbated—once the baby arrives.

Readying your relationship for the coming transition is essential to helping you both provide a stable, supportive home for your child. An experienced couples therapist can help ensure that you and your partner are on the same page, not only in your relationship but also in the way you both envision parenting and maintaining a healthy balance between your many individual and communal responsibilities. Doing this early on helps prevent conflict, partner resentment, burnout, and even depression.

Reap the Benefits of Early Couples Counseling

Early couples counseling is an opportunity for parents-to-be to work on hitches in their relationship to increase the chances of a healthy transition into having a baby on scene. It can also prepare you both for the many changes that come with parenthood, from physical and emotional exhaustion to the sometimes jarring shift in priorities and free time to the increased need for active, real-time collaboration.

With the right amount of preparation and communication, your relationship can become more resilient at a time when it’s most needed. There are many benefits of couples counseling for new and expecting parents beyond building a stronger foundation for the relationship and creating a safe, healthy, and nurturing home environment. These include:

  • Improved communication between partners

  • A better understanding of each other’s needs

  • More effective problem-solving skills

  • Healthier conflict resolution

  • A shared vision for the future of your family

  • A stronger bond and connection between partners

  • Increased trust and respect

  • The ability to share the joys of parenthood amid the challenges

Preparing your relationship before your child arrives is a wise and proactive choice. It will help each of you become stronger individually and as a couple, and set up healthy patterns for your growing family.

Additionally, our BIPOC and queer couples therapists can help BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ clients explore and address the many societal issues and expectations that come with living in a white-dominant, heteronormative culture—especially those challenges that create barriers to achieving a stronger bond as a couple and with your child. Working with an experienced couples therapist who understands your unique needs as a new parent in the BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ community can help make this transition smoother and more fulfilling.

BEGIN ONLINE THERAPY FOR COUPLES IN CALIFORNIA

The transition to parenthood is both exciting and overwhelming, for each partner and for the couple. At Whole Mother Therapy, we understand the importance of building a strong foundation for your relationship as you embark on this new chapter of your lives together. We offer online couples therapy in California to provide you with the support and guidance you need to navigate the challenges that come with starting a family. At Whole Mother Therapy, we believe that all couples deserve to have the tools and resources they need to thrive as new parents. With our online couples therapy, you can receive the support you need from the comfort of your own home. To get started with online therapy and/or online pregnancy and postpartum support groups, simply follow the steps below.

  1. Contact Whole Mother Therapy.

  2. Learn more about us and online couples therapy in California.

  3. Get the support you need from an online couples therapist.

OTHER SERVICES WHOLE MOTHER THERAPY OFFERS

Our Pasadena-based online therapy practice offers a variety of mental health services to support individuals, single parents, couples, and families. Our services include individual therapy for new parents, postpartum anxiety treatment, therapy for birth trauma, therapy for infant and pregnancy loss, therapy for infertility, postpartum depression support, marriage counseling and couples therapy for new parents, counseling for parental burnout and overwhelm, and online therapy in California for new and expecting parents.

We also offer an eight-week in-person Sacred Motherhood Circle to honor the transitions and transformations of motherhood. And we hold several support groups, including an online pregnancy support group and an online postpartum support group. Finally, you can read more about our services, values, and resources on our therapy blog.

As an inclusive practice with BIPOC and queer practitioners, we want you to know that this is a safe and affirming space. Our practice is LGBTQIA+-allied and welcomes diversity of race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity. When you’re ready for support, we hold a healthy, inviting space for you to heal, grow, and develop with us.

Sepideh Hakimzadeh