In the first few years of marriage some family and friends would jokingly recite the famous commandment to “multiply and replenish the earth.” We weren’t worried about disobeying because we’re also commanded to be self-reliant and good parents. For us…we knew waiting could help bring us in a better situation for parenthood.
Finally, September last year we decided to take a leap of faith three months before our goal and try to expand our family. October, we were pregnant. Now we are moving quicker than we imagined on a non-stop flight to parenthood, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little scary.
I’m excited to become a mother and fulfill what’s known as our highest calling as women, but at the same time I wonder what it will do to life as I know it, and our marriage.
A shockingly scary statistic that sticks out to me from my marriage and family class (yes, I took that class at BYU) is that children are ranked as the #2 reason for divorce, only below money. I’ve heard from friends that children can either bring you much closer together, or push you further apart.
One thing I feel we have going for us is the fact that we feel closer together than ever. I just can’t picture what adding a third person will do, especially a person who will drastically shift our attention, time and patience. I imagine and pray that, with that person being our child, it will strengthen our love.
What did having your first child do to your spousal relationship, and what would you suggest a couple do to keep their relationship strong? I know having a child will drastically change the amount of our alone time. What do you do to counter that?
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Jennifer, also known as Future Mama, started as a wanna be mom blogger rambling about pre-mommyhood on her blog BabyMakingMachine. September 2009 she decided to make it official, turn the machine on, and she now has a baby on the way. She graduated from BYU and she now works as a journalist in Texas and lives with her husband of five years and their dog Snoop.
