Welcoming a bundle of joy into the fold is one of the most life-changing, memorable, and joyous occasions a married couple can experience together. However, adjusting to a life where you and your partner are responsible for somebody else can also be nerve-wracking and stressful.
Because of this, finding time to relax or seek out entertainment—whether shooting hoops, going for a bike ride, or playing on casinos that offer options for online payments—is challenging. More so, finding time to maintain a healthy and growing marriage requires active participation from you and your spouse.
Strengthening this relationship, however, is not only possible but relatively simple if both parties agree to follow a few key steps. So, if you and your partner have recently welcomed a little one into the world, the following 15 tips will help you keep your relationship strong as you adjust to your new roles as parents.
1. Communicate
Almost 44% of divorces in the UK are caused by miscommunication or lack of communication. These statistics don’t take into account the stresses of having a new baby around either. Therefore, one of the best ways to keep your marriage strong is to openly communicate with each other about everything, regardless of how big or small.
2. Check in on Time
While saying communication should exist is easy, carrying this out may be challenging. As you adjust to your hectic, new, and sleep-deprived schedules, you may forget to check in how your significant other is doing. Therefore, schedule times when you will actively check in with each other and make sure to adhere to these time slots. Doing so will improve the quality of your communication.
3. Manage Your Expectations
It may be easy before your baby arrives to imagine what your life will be like and how you will adapt to being a parent. The reality, however, is often far from what you envision. Therefore, when bringing your baby home, manage your expectations of being a parent and your expectations of each other. This can help avoid disappointment and frustration.
4. Actively Listen to Each Other
One of the most crucial parts of communication is hearing the other person and understanding them. This can only be done through active listening and trying to see things from their perspective. In all communication with your spouse, practice the technique of active listening to ensure there is no miscommunication between you.
5. Remember You’re Part of a Team
Traditionally, mothers take on the brunt of the work when a baby arrives because the father needs to return to work sooner and because maternal instincts are stronger. However, you and your spouse should remember that you’re a team and that things will always work best if the load is shared, not laid on one parent’s shoulders.
6. Prioritize Time Alone
Like scheduling mini check-ins, prioritize time spent alone with your partner. Although family members are often present after a newborn arrives, agree to switch off, kick everyone out, and spend some time alone with your partner while your angel sleeps. Even five minutes can help keep your relationship strong and give you both some time to recover.
7. Be Affectionate
Being affectionate with your spouse may be second nature before your baby is born. A quick kiss or holding hands can often disappear after birth when you both have your child on your mind. However, keeping this affection present can help your marriage grow deeper, so promise to keep being affectionate with each other as much as possible.
8. Be Intimate
Finding the time or desire to be intimate between midnight feeds and sleepless nights may seem impossible. But working through this and being intimate with your partner is an essential milestone in your new life as parents and will help your marriage feel more like it used to be.
9. Fight Fairly
The arrival of an argument after your child is born is almost inevitable. Facing a lack of sleep and frayed nerves, you and your partner could be on edge and snap easily. If this occurs, remember to fight fairly and focus only on explaining your feelings and understanding theirs—not on criticizing or insulting them.
10. Show Appreciation
While a quick peck may make your spouse feel loved, a thank you will make them feel appreciated and like all that effort they have been putting in is appreciated. Therefore, acknowledge the small things, even if they’re as simple as tidying up or checking on your newborn.
11. Forgive
No matter the number of books you may read, nothing can prepare you for becoming a parent. Along the way, you and your spouse will make mistakes or do things the other doesn’t agree with. When this happens, don’t jump to point it out. Instead, forgive each other and use it as a learning moment to do better in the future.
12. Accept Help
Don’t think that you have to do it all yourselves. It takes a village to raise a child, which is why friends and families exist. Accepting help from loved ones doesn’t make you a bad parent and can help you reset and prepare yourselves for the next stretch of finding your feet as parents.
13. Celebrate Milestones Together
Your baby will reach milestones quickly as he or she grows and matures before your eyes. Whether it’s sleeping through the night, speaking without interruption, or just getting through a diaper change with no mess, celebrate everything together and see each one as proof of your ability to parent together.
14. Be Patient
While some take to parenting like a duck to water, others may need more time to adjust. Because of this, it is crucial to be patient with each other. While you’re both learning how to adjust together, it is also a personal process for each of you, and one of you may need some extra leeway to get there.
15. Embrace the Chaos
Finally, accept the new normal of your relationship with your child. Things may be messy, disorganized, and unpredictable, but the chaos ushers your family into a new life together. Embrace it and celebrate each moment as your relationship with each other evolves and you step into parenthood, ready to tackle its many adventures.