Transition to Parenthood Workshop

A workshop for expectant parents, and parents of infants and toddlers.

When Couples Become Parents

Some people believe you become a parent on the day your baby is born. Actually, becoming a parent is a process rather than a single event. The transition to parenthood begins the day you learn you are expecting a baby. Suddenly, things shift for you and your partner. You live in anticipation and preparation for the day your baby arrives.

The process of becoming a parent involves a philosophical shift. While you were once just a daughter, a son, a sister, a brother, you are now a parent, too. The family and individual shifts that occur after your baby is born take time and are an ever-changing and ever-evolving process that is not often addressed for couples. The process of transitioning to parenthood can also bring up difficulties in your relationship, and many couples find themselves unprepared and confused about what is happening.

Why is the Transition to Parenthood Difficult for Many Couples?

More than ever before, you and your partner become a “we” when your baby arrives. Your relationship changes and there are additional responsibilities and stresses. It may be more difficult for you and your partner to connect in the ways you have before because now you have a baby demanding so much of your time and attention. The little things that brought you joy and togetherness as a couple may be pushed aside as you attend to many needs of a child.

New parents usually have less time for each other and less time for their relationship after their baby is born. With the changes - large ones and small ones – having less time for each other may lead to dissatisfaction and more conflict in your relationship with your partner. It doesn’t have to be this way.

The Transition to Parenting Workshop is a small group for new and expectant parents. The focus is on your baby, the parent-child relationship, and how your relationship as a couple affects your child.

The Transition to Parenthood Workshop teaches you and your partner the skills and information necessary to keep your relationship strong, even with all the changes that are happening around you.

A New “Normal” in Your Relationship

Having a baby is one of the greatest joys of being a couple. It also brings your relationship into territory that has not been navigated before. Along with the new joy you feel, you and your partner will also have new decisions to make, new tasks to accomplish, and sacrifices to make that you had not previously considered. All of this is to be expected when you become parents.

Transition from a couple, to a couple with children, is a delicate balance. Your happy relationship with each other is important to your child. Your happy child, and a happy parent-child relationship, is important to the relationship between you and your partner. You want to be the best possible parent you can be, but you also want to be the best possible partner you can be. Finding the balance between these takes awareness and attention.

Emotions: Yours and Your Baby’s

Research shows that a couple’s emotional life is the real foundation for a baby’s development. The Transition to Parenthood Workshop helps you and your partner recognize the patterns of communication and behaviors that can have negative effects on your child’s healthy emotional development and cognitive development. In the Transition to Parenthood Workshop, you will also learn how to communicate with your partner and with your child in a way that allows more connection with each other. Parents are coaches for their children when it comes to expressing and understanding emotion.

The Transition to Parenthood Workshop is presented in three modules in three weekly, two-hour class meetings. The weekly meeting topics are:

Week 1:  The Transition to Parenthood

Week 2:  Children and Parents: A Delicate Relationship

Week 3:  Emotional Communication and Children

Here are few things you will learn in the Transition to Parenthood Workshop:

• What to expect after having a baby
• 10 reasons why the transition to parenthood can be difficult
• Understand the impact of your relationship quality on parenting
• How to recognize trouble in your relationship and how to shift to a satisfied relationship
• 5-step strategy for relationship success
• Recognizing emotions in your children
• Examining your own parenting style
• 5-steps for emotion coaching

The Transition to Parenthood Workshop is limited to four couples and meets in my office in northwest central Austin on three consecutive Saturday mornings from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Classes form when a minimum of three couples indicate interest in attending the workshop and dates are confirmed. The workshop is an educational workshop with some lecture, some discussion between participants, and some exercises for couples to do privately. Workbooks are provided to each couple for each week’s discussion.

Fees and Registration (payable when classes are confirmed)

• $240 per couple for three, two-hour classes
• You may pay $80 at the time of registration with a bank card, and your card will be charged $80 on the 2nd and 3rd meeting days. Your bank card must be on file to take advantage of this option.

Classes are held in a relaxed, comfortable setting. Workbook and materials for each couple are included in the registration fee.  Coffee, water, juice, and pastries will also be provided at each meeting.

Call 512-739-2494 today for information and to register for the next Transition to Parenthood Workshop. You may also complete the form on the contact page to reserve your space.