I love this. As a midwife, here is the topic sheet I give to clients who are pregnant. The sheet is for them to discuss the topics between themselves; perhaps it's the start of a constitution? Discussion topics for postpartum preparation; and life preparation:
1. How will you know when if my mental health is not right and how will you talk with me about it?
2. How will parenting duties be shared, listing out which responsibilities you’ll each take on and breaking down the duties in detail.
3. Role of grandparents and extended friends and family and what boundaries we will set and how and who will be our support systems?
4. How will we cope with night wakings and sleep deprivation?
5. How will you support me when I am feeling “touched out”?
6. Plan and budget time and money for mental health support and postpartum doula support.
7. Thoughts on co-sleeping, sleep training and crying it out?
8. How will we support my postpartum body with body positivity and/or body neutrality?
9. How will we spend our non-working downtime?
10. How I may want to be supported if breastfeeding is challenging?
11. How will we deal with the financial strain?
12. What words of affirmation I might need to hear when I am struggling?
13. How will we stay connected and communicating when our sex drives change?
14. Thoughts on circumcision, ear piercing, screen time, spanking, yelling, discipline, religion, etc. etc. etc.
15. What is our budget in time and money for postpartum physical rehab and nutrition needs?
16. What does self-care look like for each of us and how we will we support each other to achieve our desired self-care?
17. How do I want support when my high expectations and perfectionist tendencies aren’t serving me? How do you want support when your expectations and tendencies aren’t serving you?
18. How do my childhood experiences and who my parenting role models were impact the way I co-parent and my communication style?...impact the way you co-parent and your communication style?
19. How do we make this an ongoing conversation that we revisit regularly because our opinions on these topics may shift?
I wish we had been given this by anyone ever! What a great job you are doing! All midwives should be doing this.. have the midwife association in your country taken this on as a thing, or is it just your wonderful commitment?
I love this. As a midwife, here is the topic sheet I give to clients who are pregnant. The sheet is for them to discuss the topics between themselves; perhaps it's the start of a constitution? Discussion topics for postpartum preparation; and life preparation:
1. How will you know when if my mental health is not right and how will you talk with me about it?
2. How will parenting duties be shared, listing out which responsibilities you’ll each take on and breaking down the duties in detail.
3. Role of grandparents and extended friends and family and what boundaries we will set and how and who will be our support systems?
4. How will we cope with night wakings and sleep deprivation?
5. How will you support me when I am feeling “touched out”?
6. Plan and budget time and money for mental health support and postpartum doula support.
7. Thoughts on co-sleeping, sleep training and crying it out?
8. How will we support my postpartum body with body positivity and/or body neutrality?
9. How will we spend our non-working downtime?
10. How I may want to be supported if breastfeeding is challenging?
11. How will we deal with the financial strain?
12. What words of affirmation I might need to hear when I am struggling?
13. How will we stay connected and communicating when our sex drives change?
14. Thoughts on circumcision, ear piercing, screen time, spanking, yelling, discipline, religion, etc. etc. etc.
15. What is our budget in time and money for postpartum physical rehab and nutrition needs?
16. What does self-care look like for each of us and how we will we support each other to achieve our desired self-care?
17. How do I want support when my high expectations and perfectionist tendencies aren’t serving me? How do you want support when your expectations and tendencies aren’t serving you?
18. How do my childhood experiences and who my parenting role models were impact the way I co-parent and my communication style?...impact the way you co-parent and your communication style?
19. How do we make this an ongoing conversation that we revisit regularly because our opinions on these topics may shift?
I would also include Financial Fidelity, which will include full disclosure of all assets and liabilities, conversations on what money and financial peace mean for each partner, what constitutes financial infidelity and what would be the consequences for financial infidelity
I love this. As a midwife, here is the topic sheet I give to clients who are pregnant. The sheet is for them to discuss the topics between themselves; perhaps it's the start of a constitution? Discussion topics for postpartum preparation; and life preparation:
1. How will you know when if my mental health is not right and how will you talk with me about it?
2. How will parenting duties be shared, listing out which responsibilities you’ll each take on and breaking down the duties in detail.
3. Role of grandparents and extended friends and family and what boundaries we will set and how and who will be our support systems?
4. How will we cope with night wakings and sleep deprivation?
5. How will you support me when I am feeling “touched out”?
6. Plan and budget time and money for mental health support and postpartum doula support.
7. Thoughts on co-sleeping, sleep training and crying it out?
8. How will we support my postpartum body with body positivity and/or body neutrality?
9. How will we spend our non-working downtime?
10. How I may want to be supported if breastfeeding is challenging?
11. How will we deal with the financial strain?
12. What words of affirmation I might need to hear when I am struggling?
13. How will we stay connected and communicating when our sex drives change?
14. Thoughts on circumcision, ear piercing, screen time, spanking, yelling, discipline, religion, etc. etc. etc.
15. What is our budget in time and money for postpartum physical rehab and nutrition needs?
16. What does self-care look like for each of us and how we will we support each other to achieve our desired self-care?
17. How do I want support when my high expectations and perfectionist tendencies aren’t serving me? How do you want support when your expectations and tendencies aren’t serving you?
18. How do my childhood experiences and who my parenting role models were impact the way I co-parent and my communication style?...impact the way you co-parent and your communication style?
19. How do we make this an ongoing conversation that we revisit regularly because our opinions on these topics may shift?
By @wearerobyn
I wish we had been given this by anyone ever! What a great job you are doing! All midwives should be doing this.. have the midwife association in your country taken this on as a thing, or is it just your wonderful commitment?
I love this. As a midwife, here is the topic sheet I give to clients who are pregnant. The sheet is for them to discuss the topics between themselves; perhaps it's the start of a constitution? Discussion topics for postpartum preparation; and life preparation:
1. How will you know when if my mental health is not right and how will you talk with me about it?
2. How will parenting duties be shared, listing out which responsibilities you’ll each take on and breaking down the duties in detail.
3. Role of grandparents and extended friends and family and what boundaries we will set and how and who will be our support systems?
4. How will we cope with night wakings and sleep deprivation?
5. How will you support me when I am feeling “touched out”?
6. Plan and budget time and money for mental health support and postpartum doula support.
7. Thoughts on co-sleeping, sleep training and crying it out?
8. How will we support my postpartum body with body positivity and/or body neutrality?
9. How will we spend our non-working downtime?
10. How I may want to be supported if breastfeeding is challenging?
11. How will we deal with the financial strain?
12. What words of affirmation I might need to hear when I am struggling?
13. How will we stay connected and communicating when our sex drives change?
14. Thoughts on circumcision, ear piercing, screen time, spanking, yelling, discipline, religion, etc. etc. etc.
15. What is our budget in time and money for postpartum physical rehab and nutrition needs?
16. What does self-care look like for each of us and how we will we support each other to achieve our desired self-care?
17. How do I want support when my high expectations and perfectionist tendencies aren’t serving me? How do you want support when your expectations and tendencies aren’t serving you?
18. How do my childhood experiences and who my parenting role models were impact the way I co-parent and my communication style?...impact the way you co-parent and your communication style?
19. How do we make this an ongoing conversation that we revisit regularly because our opinions on these topics may shift?
By @wearerobyn
I would also include Financial Fidelity, which will include full disclosure of all assets and liabilities, conversations on what money and financial peace mean for each partner, what constitutes financial infidelity and what would be the consequences for financial infidelity