Bringing Baby Home Couples Workshops

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Comments from couples who have attended Janie's Bringing Baby Home Workshop :

“We absolutely recommend the Bringing Baby Home Workshop to other couples who are new or expectant parents.”

“So glad we were able to attend – it was helpful information and gave a lot for additional conversation post-workshop!”

“We were extremely satisfied with the content of the workshop and Janie’s presentation of the material.”

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Bringing your baby home is an exciting time. You are overjoyed and maybe a little nervous about it, too. If you and your partner are expecting a child or if you have had a child recently, you probably have many feelings, emotions, and questions that are part of your journey as a couple and as parents.

Will We Be Good Parents?

Being the best parents possible is the goal of every couple. Providing safety, security, comfort, and love is the priority of couples who are expecting a baby or have recently added to their family. You and your partner may have had positive parenting role models when you were growing up or you may want to parent differently than you were parented. Your desire is to meet your new baby’s physical and emotional needs and be the best parents possible.

What’s the Most Important Thing We Can Give Our Baby?

After decades of research with couples, Dr. John Gottman of The Gottman Institute in Seattle, has discovered, “The greatest gift you can give your child is a strong relationship between the two of you.” Dr. Gottman’s research has shown that a couple’s emotional connection is the real foundation for baby’s development. His research also shows that in the months following a baby’s arrival, many couples experience a reduction in relationship satisfaction, and an increase in disagreement and hostility. Hostile relationships between parents, and withdrawn or intrusive parent-child relationships, both have negative effects on a child’s emotional, social, and cognitive development, according to his research.

No parent wants their child to experience this. You want to give your baby the best possible start to life. That’s where the Bringing Baby Home workshops can help you and your partner. The workshop provides you and your partner the skills for you to lay a strong foundation for your baby’s physical and emotional well-bring.

What is The Bringing Baby Home Program?

Bringing Baby Home is a program for couples who are experiencing the transition to parenthood. The program is dedicated to improving the quality of life for babies and children by strengthening their families. Bringing Baby Home is a psycho-educational program that teaches couples the skills and abilities needed to provide a strong foundation for their relationship and for their child:

Couples attending the Bringing Baby Home Workshop will learn the following:

How to strengthen your friendship after baby arrives
How to strengthen intimacy in your relationship
How to regulate conflict and disagreement
How to co-parent so you and your partner are both involved
How to parent sensitively and responsively to promote your baby’s healthy development

Further, couples participating in the workshop will be able to:

Explain what to expect during the transition to parenthood
Describe a child’s development in the first year
Create strategies to co-parent with your partner
Learn ways to improve communication
Demonstrate how to strengthen friendship, intimacy, and conflict regulation skills
Recognize the signs of postpartum mood, anxiety, and adjustment disorders and be aware of support or treatment options

Commonly Asked Questions about Bringing Baby Home Workshops

Is this a class about how to take care of my baby, such as feeding and diapering?

The Bringing Baby Home Program is designed to help parents avoid some of the pitfalls that often happen in their relationship as they transition to parenthood. Bringing Baby Home also help parents learn how to play cooperatively with their baby, how to recognize what baby might be trying to communicate, recognize the important role of fathers in the care of baby, and navigate the many life adjustments that new parents encounter after having a baby. The Bringing Baby Home Program is not a class that gives parents hands-on baby care instruction.

Is this a workshop for expectant parents or can couples who have babies and toddlers attend?

Bringing Baby Home is a program for expectant parents and parents who have young children. Parents who are welcoming their second or third child find that they benefit from the Bringing Baby Home Program.

How long is the workshop?

The workshop is held on two consecutive Saturdays beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. Breaks in the morning and afternoon allow you to get up and move around. The Bringing Baby Home Program is engaging and informative and offers several methods of instruction such as short lecture, video instruction, music, and time for short exercises with your partner. Comfortable seating is provided for all participants. Parents with babies three months and younger are invited to bring their little ones along with them while they attend the classes.

What are your credentials to teach this workshop?

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and have been trained by The Gottman Institute in Seattle, the creator of Bring Baby Home, to teach these classes. I am a therapist in private practice who works with couples to help them build and maintain strong and satisfying relationships. I recognize that couples often struggle with the transition to parenthood and want to offer this educational program to new parents in Central Texas.

What are the dates for upcoming Bringing Baby Home Workshops you offer?

Workshops for 2018 are being planned, so check back here for updates on the 2018 schedule. If you would like to be added to the Bringing Baby Home email list, click the contact link at the bottom of this page, and complete the form provided. You will be the first to know when the 2018 workshop dates are confirmed.

How much does the Bring Baby Home Workshop Cost?

All registrations are for couples, not per individual. Your registration fee includes a Bringing Baby Home workbook for each couple, plus beverages and snacks throughout the day. Lunch is on your own at nearby restaurants.

Standard Registration: $299 per couple
Payment Plan Option: To help you with budgeting, I offer a payment plan option to all registrants. The payment plan option requires that a current bank card be kept on file at the time of registration. $100 is paid at time of registration with the balance divided into equal installments, charged to your card on the first of each month. Last installment will be charged on the first day of the month of the workshop. Please call 512-739-2494 and say that you would like to use the payment plan option for the Bringing Baby Home Workshop.