Pathway to Parenthood LLC

First of all you need a lot less than you think you do. The things that most helpful do not come in a box and are not shipping from Amazon. If you have risk factors for a mood disorder, here is a list of things that will help make the transition less stressful...​​​​​​​​
-establish care with a mental health therapist​​​​​​​​
-identify support people in your life and make them aware you are at risk for postpartum mood disorders ​​​​​​​​
-sign up for a postpartum support group​​​​​​​​
-let your providers (OB, midwife, doula) know if you are at risk for a PMAD​​​​​​​​
-if you are experiencing symptoms during pregnancy, discuss psychotropic medication therapy with your provider ​​​​​​​​

Did you know the average baby requires almost 4 hands to properly get ALL needs taken care of!?​​​​​​​​
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The mental and physical load of parenthood gets LONNNGGG in parenthood and it can often feel like one person is carrying the load more than the other. ​​​​​​​​
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We typically get two questions when this topic is brought up:​​​​​​​​
1. How do I tell my partner I feel our “load” is unfair?​​​​​​​​
2. Where do we start in figuring out how to restructure? ​​​​​​​​
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Answer to #1 “Hey babe the laundry is really starting to pile up and I am feeling overwhelmed with it all. Our old system of laundry isn't working right now with the season we are in. Can we find time to talk about this and find a new way to manage this?”​​​​​​​​
Answer to #2 Make a list of ALL the things that need to get done. Put your initial next to what you do and what your partner does. Then we call it Delete, Delegate or Do Different. Delete = take it off your list (either for the season or forever) Example: do Christmas cards stress you out? Can you stop sending them for a few years? Do you even enjoy sending them? Delegate = hire out (either for a season or permanently) Need a house cleaner to help? Dog Walker? Is it for a few months until the baby sleeps or maybe for 5 years? Do different = find a new way to do something that isn't working Example: grocery delivery rather than grocery shopping. Still gets you the groceries but differently. ​​​​​​​​
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Managing the mental/physical load is ESSENTIAL for success in parenthood. The trick is to realize the loads change season to season and then to come to gather as a TEAM to update systems! We find so many couples fall short there. ​​​​​​​​
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Tag your partner so they know you need to have a chat to update some systems or your friend who just told you they are overwhelmed with their list and need to start sharing the load!​​​​​​​​