Having a Baby? Prepare Your Marriage for Parenting

Check out this interview with me from About.com!
You’re about to become parents for the first time, and you are still newlyweds. “Marriage changes in ways that are unexpected for people,” says Kristin Maschka, author of This is Not How I Thought It Would Be: Remodeling Motherhood to Get the Lives We Want Today (Berkley Trade, October 2009). “We went from basking in the glow to shouting at each other in the kitchen.” The hard times after a baby is born are a dirty secret. But preparing for the challenges can help you welcome your baby without ruining your marriage. Here, Maschka’s tips for keeping your marriage intact when you become parents for the first time

Give yourself state of the union check ups regularly.
Choose a time – say dinner or first thing in the morning before work – to discuss anything that is on your mind about your schedule, the relationship, or problems you might be having. Make these discussions a normal part of your routine, so when the baby comes along, you already have an established time to vent or express whatever it is that is bothering you or needs improvement. Maschka warns against letting your frustrations build, which will likely cause a blow out of an argument.
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