How Pregnancy Can Affect Your Relationship

A new baby may mean big changes for you and your partner BY: SHANNON PHILPOTT

Pregnancy marks one of the biggest changes a couple can experience in their relationship, and marks the beginning of many changes ahead for them as their family grows. I was pleased to be included in this post about how pregnancy affects your relationship.

“Pregnancy is a time of growth and change — for both mom- and dad-to-be. Pregnancy also provides a period of adjustment for your relationship, as you and your partner prepare for the arrival of a new family member. This is “the real training for parenthood,” says Alicia Clark, Washington-based clinical psychologist. “And nowhere is this more evident than in your intimate relationship, where — perhaps for the first time — the needs of a child have to be balanced with your own.”

“From the beginning of pregnancy to the end, the physical demands of growing a baby are real and can significantly alter how a woman feels in her body and toward those around her, says Clark. “With the surge of hormones present in her system, a pregnant woman can feel simultaneously more affectionate and less sexual, more anxious and yet more centered, more vulnerable and more confident,” she says. If she is uncomfortable, she may want less affection, and if she’s feeling confident, she may need more.”

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