Baby and The Extended Family

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Baby and Extended Family
While this baby is special to everyone in your family, it's up to you as a couple to decide what's best for your nuclear family - the family that is the center of your universe, the two of you and your children. If you've tried your best to attain the balance you require, and still feel frustrated, you may need to stand up for yourselves forcefully.

You and your partner decide what works best for you and your children. You are adults, and while you should always try to respect your families and their traditions and values, you may find that your own needs do not coincide with theirs. Sometimes, your choices will not meet with their approval. That's part of being a grown-up.

Pregnancy and birth should be occasions for joy, but sometimes they evoke volatile emotions in your extended family. You cannot live up to the expectations of your family if they do not mesh with the expectations you as a couple have for your future. Maybe the level of involvement they wish to have in your lives is unhealthy in your opinion. Maybe choosing a particular name for baby is criticized. Maybe your parenting ability will be questioned. Then there are issues like whether or not to return to work after your baby is born, what religion to choose for your child. These decisions are yours as a couple to make.

Ultimately, what is best for baby is a happy, healthy mother. A happy, healthy father. You must make choices which support your own emotional and physical well-being. Again, if you come to decisions together as a couple and stand united, you will do what is best for baby.

Can babies rebuild broken bridges?
If your relationship with your partner is not as well as you'd like, your baby is not going to be a magic fix. Pregnancy and babies bring love, excitement, and mystery to life, but they also bring stress. So, if you think that your relationship could use some work, start that work right away so that your issues are resolved or are on the way to being resolved in time for the blessed event. With dedication, hard work, and maybe some counseling, a stronger foundation for your family could be the other blessing you receive. Baby doesn't bring this blessing, but is certainly a worthy catalyst. Babies deserve happy parents, so be the best couple you can be in order to be the best parents you can be.

The arrival of a new baby (and often the period of time in anticipation of that arrival) can be healing and restorative times for family relationships. The baby's birth can be like a rebirth for your own relationship with relatives with whom you've lost the closeness you once had or have always desired. Keep in mind that I said can be, Be prepared for people to express renewed interest in you, but do not get your hopes up too high. Keep in mind that you are pregnant and need to do what is best for baby and yourself. Overly dramatic situations are not good for either one of you.

Is there someone you want to be a part of your son or daughter's life? If you are interested in restoring your ties, extend and invitation and see where things go. But, do this with a mature heart. Babies don't rebuild the bridges, they just provide an opportunity for the rebuilding.