Monday, November 1, 2010

How Will Pregnancy Affect Your Relationship?

A pregnancy heralds a number of big changes in your life. It is not surprising; therefore, that you are wondering what it might do to your relationship with your partner.

Pregnancy is a Time of Stress

The truth is that whatever the circumstances of your pregnancy are, it will be a time of crisis for your relationship. Pregnancy is hard on you physically and emotionally and it will put you under a certain amount of continuous stress. In a relationship, that translates to potential relationship stress as well. In addition to the stress and vulnerability you will already be experiencing though, you will have a certain loss of control and familiarity with your own emotions, your own body. Dealing with this can be extremely difficult for you and for your partner.

It’s a Time to Build

That is why it is important to focus on building your relationship during pregnancy. Just as with any other crisis, a pregnancy can pull you apart or it can make you stronger. The trick is to make it work for you. Do this by focusing on yourself and your relationship—learning what’s best for both. Stress is an important part of any relationship. Weathering a new experience like this together and in a constructive, rather than a destructive, fashion has been scientifically shown to increase the emotional bonds between people. For you to be successful at this, your focus must be on constructive processing of pregnancy stress rather than on avoiding it altogether.

It’s a Time to Communicate

This means focusing on the little things from the first signs of pregnancy, like interpersonal communication. Proper communication between partners is one of the most important parts of a healthy relationship. Your pregnancy is no time to let go of that. Make sure that whatever else is going on with you physically and emotionally that you take the time to communicate respectfully with your partner.