Invest in Your Partnership

In our first session, we spend time getting to know each other and I get to learn about your story as a couple and what has come before this pivotal moment. I will invite you to share with each other your hopes and fears about becoming a parent.

In Week 2, we dive into neurobiology and the stress response. What do those terms even mean and why do they matter? We’ll spend time figuring out how each of you respond to stress, what helps you when you’re overwhelmed, and how your partner can read your tells and respond best to you.

This week is all about attachment. I’ll provide some information on what that means and why it comes into play in your adult relationship. I’ll invite you to consider how your early childhood experiences might impact how you parent and how awareness of your own history can give you the freedom to do things differently if that’s what you want.

How have you divided up household duties until now? How do you think that will change when a baby comes into the picture? Things inevitably shift and just splitting things 50/50 doesn’t always work anymore (especially when one parent has gone through giving birth and if they are breastfeeding). We go through some exercises to help you identify roles that play to your strengths and how you feel about asking others for help, whether it’s your partner, your in-laws, or finding hired help.

You may have gotten to this point without ever meaningfully discussing career goals and/or money. In this week, we get right to the heart of these sticky issues. Are you on the same page in regards to who will return to work when, how you’ll pay for things, and what sort of childcare you feel comfortable with? Talking about it now will be a huge relief once the baby is here.

One of the biggest fears that couples talk about when they approach becoming parents is that their sex life will change. And, the truth is, it will. But that doesn’t mean it has to disappear or be any less satisfying! In this week, we’ll talk about sex and intimacy and explore how we can widen the definitions of these words to account for changing bodies, schedules, and libidos.

How can you recognize that your relationship needs some attention and how can you cultivate more moments of connection? The date night seems to be the only thing that gets talked about but a date night isn’t always realistic, affordable, or even that attractive. I’ll help you develop rituals that keep your connection alive so that a simple touch or brief moment to talk can bring you closer—no babysitter or expensive meal required.

In our last week, we bring it all together. We summarize the work we’ve done together and consider what signs to look for that you need to seek support. We’ll work together to write your mission statement and agreements as a couple so that you have a framework to approach conflict when it arises and a solid foundation to fall back on.