Preparing for Parenthood

Texas Premarital Counseling is thrilled to offer services for parents-to-be and new parents.

Based on the Gottman Institute’s Bringing Baby Home Program, these services offer a uniquely supportive approach to preparing couples for the arrival of their new baby. This comprehensive program is based on decades of research on relationship dynamics, attachment theory, and parenting styles.

These services are designed to help couples feel empowered as they navigate the significant changes that come with the transition to parenthood, including the impact it can have on their relationship. By learning evidence-based techniques and strategies, couples can strengthen their bond and better manage the stress of raising a child.

Benefits include:

Increase relationship satisfaction: The program provides couples with communication skills and practical tools to improve communication and deepen their connection.

Reduce conflict and increase affection: By learning how to identify and manage conflict in healthy ways, couples can decrease tension and avoid damaging arguments that can harm their relationship and family.

Enhance co-parenting: Partners develop compassionate awareness of their partner’s perspective and construct methods for strategically managing the mountain of responsibilities as equitable participants, how to collaboratively analyze this distribution and adjust as needed to maintain sustainability and satisfaction, and fortify their relationship in the face of adversity.

Promote positive parent-child interactions: Parents who completed the Bringing Baby Home Program showed greater sensitivity and responsiveness to their child’s signals, work together more positively during family play, and their babies expressed more smiling and laughter during family play.

Improve emotional regulation: Couples build skills to manage their own emotions and respond to their partner's emotions in healthy ways, reducing negative interactions in day-to-day life, and increasing stable relationship quality.

Bolster resilience: By preparing couples for the changes and challenges that come with parenthood, the program helps them build resilience, both relationally and psychologically, creating a strong foundation to weather any storms that may arise. Parents who completed the Bringing Baby Home Program showed fewer symptoms of postpartum depression and/or anxiety.

Counseling provides a valuable opportunity for couples to invest in their relationship, prepare for the transition to parenthood, and build a strong foundation for their future. By committing to the program, couples give themselves the opportunity to increase relationship satisfaction, improve communication and conflict resolution, enhance co-parenting skills, and build greater resilience - all of which can help them successfully navigate the joys and challenges of raising a family together.