Couples experience added challenges to their relationships once they become parents. Sleepless nights, life changes causing stress, and even postpartum depression are things most new parents know are possible when the baby comes home. Sudden relationship and personal challenges might come as a big surprise to new parents.  Navigating life as a family can be harder than you expect.  Between unwanted parenting advice from outsiders and no time for self-care, communication with your partner can halt to a standstill. Your once-steady partner suddenly feels like part of the problem. Catherine O’Brien is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the founder of HappyWithBaby.com. In this episode, we talk to Catherine about the advice she wishes she could have had when managing expectations of parenthood and relationships, and her guidance on how to build a happier and more passionate relationship with your partner. Catherine acts as a California state co-coordinator for Postpartum Support International, serves the Maternal Mental Health Collaborative, and has helped establish A Mother’s Heart in Sacramento, where mothers with perinatal and anxiety disorders go to receive support. Catherine is married to her husband, Rick, and has 2 kids, a son, and a daughter. She coaches soccer, enjoys paddle boarding and rowing, and lives with her family in Sacramento, California.