The New Arrival

The arrival of a baby in the family brings many new aspects to the marriage. Many young couples fear this time because they know researchers have come to the conclusion that in general, the arrival of a first child results in a decrease in marital satisfaction for both the wife and the husband.
I believe however, that these warnings about the decrease in marital satisfaction are blown out of proportion.

Often when the chart that shows the drop in marital satisfaction is shown, as shown on the left, it focuses in on just a few percentage points so that it looks like when baby comes, there is a dramatic decrease in marital satisfaction, when in reality, it might only decrease a few percentage points, but in the grand scheme of things, it is not a huge decrease.

This time of course will be more difficult then other times, so a couple should not expect the bliss that they had when they first got married, but that doesn't mean that they can't be any less happy. Their focus will change for a time. This transition to focusing on a child can be difficult because it is a real change that needs to happen within the couple's relationship.

I believe that couples should not fear this time in their marriage, but should look forward to it. One-third of couples experience a marital satisfaction increase after the birth of their first child! If a couple commits to focusing on their relationship even in the midst of having a new child, they certainly can be successful in making this important transition in their lives.