19. Reconnect, Rekindle, and Realign: Prioritizing Your Relationship Through Challenging Seasons of Parenthood with Autumn Fowler

Having a baby changes everything. Especially your relationship. It can throw you off guard, but with the right tools, open and honest communication, and a commitment to prioritizing the changing needs of your relationship, you can feel like a rock solid team riding the waves of parenthood, together. In this episode I'm chatting with Autumn Fowler, a clinical counsellor, relationship expert, business owner, wife, and boy mama to two littles. She specializes in helping folks who are preparing for parenthood, or in the trenches of the early years, better their relationships with themselves and others. She does this through individual and couples therapy as well as virtual group programs. We're diving into the challenges, triumphs, and transformations couples experience in the transition to parenthood. Autumn serves up so much expert guidance around how to baby proof your relationship, reconnect after a tough season (hello fourth trimester), rekindle intimacy and sex, and realign on the regular to match both of your current levels of capacity and energy. If you've ever asked yourself:"is it normal we're not having as much sex since baby?" or "how do we find our way back to each other after a stressful season of life?" then this one is for you.The wisdom, guidance, and simple practical tools Autumn shares are infused with her deep compassion for and understanding of the unique and common challenges faced in relationships through the journey into parenthood.We dive into:the common issues that can come up through the transition into parenthood like sleep deprivation, unfair division of labor, shifting intimacy, feeling like roomates, and what to do about itcommunication (of course!!) with script examples to help you shift from arguing to really communicating effectivelywhat everyone's thinking about but no ones talking about: shifting sex and intimacy postpartum- how to navigate the ebbs and flows that take place in early parenthoodnavigating relational conflict in a way that helps you look deeper below the surface (you're not really arguing about the dishes again)the foundational qualities you need in your relationship to maintain deep connection through the changing seasons of parenthoodhow to have a "love meeting" and why it's so useful and importantAutumn's advice will empower you to shift from autopilot to conscious relationship in a way that matches your current capacity. I hope this episode helps validate and normalize the immense shifts and transitions our relationships go through once baby arrives. You'll leave with practical tips, tools, and scripts to help you nourish your relationship, communicate effectively, deepen trust and all forms of intimacy and feel like you're on the same team. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Connect with Autumn:www.nestcounselling.ca@thenestcounselling_Just for The Well-Nourished Mother listeners, save 15% on Autumn's courses with the code NOURISH15:Babyproof Your Relationship: A self-paced digital course to help you prepare your relationship for a new babyTeam Parenthood- How to Not Hate Your Spouse After Kids: A virtual course for couples in the early years of parenthood who want to communicate better, enhance intimacy, ditch resentment and feel like they're on the same team againI'd LOVE to hear your thoughts and feedback... send a text message directly to the show.Support the showJoin the Nest & Nourish community over on instagram to connect with your host Lauren @nestandnourish.