Dr. John Gottman: Preserving Intimacy After Baby

Even the most solid of relationships experience strain during the transition from couple to trio. New parents face the typical pitfalls of lack of sleep, lifestyle adaptations and sacrifices and new financial concerns. Dr. John Gottman talks to ParentMap about the skills and strategies that new parents need to positively manage transitional stressors and keep their relationship strong.

Topics covered in the video include:

• The long-term benefits of sustaining a stable, loving relationship, for both partners and their children
• How the quality of the parents’ relationship affects the fetal and neurological development of their child
• Advice to expectant parents about bringing baby home
• How “emotion coaching” benefits the development of a child
• How emotional intelligence relates to and influences cognitive intelligence
• How parent interactions with the child predict the child’s well-being and success later in life
• Dynamics and traits in relationships that work and last
• How couples can prevent inevitable conflicts from undermining the stability of their relationship

About John Gottman, Ph.D. Dr. Gottman has authored 40 books, including the New York Times bestseller The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.  He has conducted 40 years of breakthrough marriage research and has appeared on Good Morning America, Today, Anderson Cooper and Oprah. He is a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington and co-founder of the Gottman Institute with his wife, Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman.