Changes in Your Life

Many partners experience a sense of joy and achievement when they watch their new baby grow up, knowing that they have played a unique role in their development. As a partner, you will experience wonderful highs, many joys and intense feelings of love, and closeness. Reflecting on having a new baby, you probably know that it has added a dimension to your identity, and it has brought a sense of completeness to your life. Building a relationship with your baby can be a deeply rewarding experience. Having a baby can cause many other changes in your life: While you may have been confident that having a baby would affect your life in lots of ways –emotional, financial, and social –you may have been caught off guard by the sheer number and the magnitude of the changes you are experiencing.

Here are a few things that other partners have said:

  • 'I never expected that baby could be so emotionally needy and demanding.'

  • 'I knew I'd lose sleep, but I didn't expect to feel this exhausted!'

  • 'I miss the leisure time and closeness my partner and I shared before-it's hard including a third person in your relationship.'

  • 'I expected my life would continue on much as before. It really hit home when I realized that going to the gym just wasn't an option anymore because it meant leaving my partner with too much responsibility for the kids.'

  • 'There is so much to think about and do each day!'

Do any of these statements sound like some of your thoughts? Your partner may also be experiencing similar and different thoughts