Returning to Work after Parental Leave: Get Emotional Needs met through Spouse Support
About this episode
The episode discusses how couples can maintain emotional support and connection during the transition back to work after parental leave.
How can you and your spouse stay connected in the return to work after maternity leave or parental leave? Adjusting to the transition and re-navigating division of labor can bring significant tension. So how do you get emotional support and stay in each other’s corner when the mental load and invisible load is high, there are identity shifts happening, and you’re both still adjusting to marriage after baby? In this episode, MJ Harford, LPC and I discuss what emotional safety new parents can build together as a foundation to navigate issues that come up with the return to work. MJ is a therapist serving individual clients in Virginia & DC, specializing in maternal mental health. She is also the founder of Resilient Returns, where she helps working parents and businesses navigate the transition back to work after parental leave. MJ and I share how couples can co-create emotional safety and managing emotional triggers around returning to work and division of labor so that you can navigate together without defensiveness, shutting down, and lashing out. So you guys can stay on the same team! Part 2 of our discussion next week will dive into concrete tools and approaches that can…
People in this episode
Host: Evie Mpras
Guest: MJ Harford
Topics covered
- return to work
- parental leave
- emotional support
- division of labor
- maternal mental health
- couples communication
Keywords
- parental leave
- emotional safety
- couples support
- mental load
- identity shifts
- working parents
Sponsors
Resilient Returns
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Resilient Returns
Places: Virginia, DC
More episodes of Bonds after Baby: Rebuild your marriage, reduce postpartum resentment & guard maternal mental health
- From Flooding to Co-Regulation for Parents: How Couples Calm Each Other’s Nervous Systems
- Managing Reactivity as New Parents: Nervous System Regulation and Emotional Safety
- From Marriage Conflict to Shared Ownership: Fixing Division of Labor as New Parents
- Postpartum Relationship Struggles: How to End the Silent Treatment Loop as New Parents
- Struggling with In-Laws & Family Patterns? How to Set Boundaries & Strengthen Your Parenting Team
- How to ask for Parenting Support & Emotional Support in a Way Your Partner Can Actually Hear
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