Preparing for the arrival of a first-born child by buying a crib and stocking the house with diapers, bottles and formula is not difficult and can be fun. However, preparing for the emotional changes that you and your Spouse must face when baby makes three, is an unknown and more difficult job. Your new arrival is a significant source of joy and celebration. At the same time, it is a substantial source of stress, too. Recognizing this may make you more ready to deal with the upsetting, and unexpected, feelings which follow.
Fathers, sometimes hard-pressed to appreciate the fatigue and intense involvement which the first few months of motherhood demand, may feel, even knowing better, abandoned to a new love. Resentment is not unusual and preparation for the change from couple to family is essential.
A baby brings with it a seemingly endless assortment of chores, and upsets the previous family balance. Partners who valued an egalitarian division of labor may develop resentments as they find themselves slipping into more characteristic, traditional roles. Somehow, mom seems to be the one Who hears the baby cry at night and who gives up work to slay home with the infant. Couples must consciously re-evaluate their situation and spell out new agreements in adapting to new demands when baby makes three.
