Sex therapist: advice for managing libido differences with your partner
Want to know how to manage libido differences with your partner after babies? Sex therapist, Jo Robertson explains. Oh, …
Marriage and Relationships
Want more help around home? Here's how
How does the housework get parcelled out in your house? Are you responsible for most of the domestic chores, and are you starting to resent it? Emma Fahy explains how to get your partner to share more of the load - and keep both of you happy. Every …
7 things all men need in a relationship
Men are often reluctant to talk about their needs in intimate relationships. Whether social conditioning or an inability to communicate our needs are to blame, men (who tend to be the less communicative partners in intimate relationships) are prone …
7 things all women need in a relationship
Men and women can sometimes arrive at an emotional stalemate and feel something’s lacking in our relationships. Sex & relationship coach Jordan Gray says in this situation, women aren’t opening up because men aren’t giving them what they need. …
Hormone changes, body image and expectations around sex after baby
Between changing body shapes, hormone levels and the way we see our post-baby selves, intimacy with our partner can become a minefield. Sex therapist Jo Robertson shares her advice on overcoming the barriers. BODY IMAGE Some women feel glorious in …
10 things new dads need to know about new mums
When we left the hospital with our little guy we, like all new parents, looked around for an instruction manual. Alas, there was none to be found. Apparently, the State of Tennessee is totally cool with you wingin’ it. While an instruction manual …
10 things new mums need to know about new dads
We've shared 10 Things New Dads Need to Know About New Mums, and today it’s Mum’s turn to learn a thing or two… or ten. 1. New Dad misses you. This baby is getting all of your attention. All of it. And when the baby finally doesn’t need your …
Couples share how adding a baby can affect your relationship
We asked four Kiwi couples to tell us their stories about how babies affected their relationships and how they worked through arising conflicts. Megan and Cliff Hawkins, Auckland. “By the time we had Nathan, we had been together for 12 years so …
Sex therapist tips: how to regain your mojo
How to regain your mojo after having a baby, sex therapist Dr Allyson Waite has a recipe for sex-cess. On arriving home with your bundle of joy, sex may not be the first thing on your mind as you begin to adjust to the many delights and challenges …
5 Top Tips for Lasting Love
The Parenting Place's top tips for lasting love The first year of your first baby could easily be the most stressful in your life! At the start, your baby is a bottomless pit of needs, taking all your time, energy, and money. …
My partner did these amazing things before our baby was born
Superheroes may have superpowers, but have you noticed that they only appear when things get serious? In a pregnant woman’s life that would equate to turning up just as labour starts. The real superheroes are around all the time: the partner who …
12 Things Your Partner Needs To Hear More Often
There are things that your partner needs to hear you say on a consistent basis in order to feel deeply loved. Some of which they know about, and some of them, they don’t. Communication is key in intimate relationships and it helps to be intentional …
10 ways to make a romantic gesture
“Romance is for the unmarried.” “Chivalry is dead.” “Real men aren’t romantic.” I’ve heard these sentiments uttered by people throughout my life. The truth? All men have the ability to be romantic. Granted, many guys are afraid to do romantic …
5 ways to stay attracted to your partner
One of the most common questions that I get asked from my clients in relationships is “How do you stay attracted to someone you’ve been with for years?” I’ve interviewed couples who have been married from a few months to 50+ years, and they all …
How to adapt to your new role as a parent
Becoming a parent involves significant role change and struggling to adjust is not uncommon. Dr Melanie Woodfield discusses the challenges faced by both mums and dads when forging new identities as parents. First pregnancies usually feature sweet …
The brain science of lasting romance
Honeymoon phase over? Parenting and relationships speaker, John Cowan from The Parenting Place, shares some research he's found on making love last I was speaking to a newly married friend. “Have you hit the horrible stage yet?” He looked shocked, …
Sex FAQs: our expert answers THOSE questions
OHbaby! Sexpert Jo Robertson gives some honest answers to Frequently Asked Questions about intimacy during pregnancy and post-delivery. I’m pregnant and seem to want sex all the time – is that normal?Yes, lots of women find their sex drive …
Ready, set, reality! Relationships after baby
The onesies are washed and folded, the nappy cupboard fully stocked, but how ready is your relationship for the arrival of your tiny human? Psychologist Melanie Woodfield offers insights into baby-proofing your partnership. Having a baby is a …
Is your relationship taking a hit?
Is your relationship taking a hit right now? Brittney Serpell identifies three obstacles every couple needs to overcome, and how. EDITOR'S NOTETake one happy marriage and add to it some sleep deprivation, a clingy baby and a super busy toddler. …
Advice on navigating the in-laws
The holiday season can put extra pressure on family relationships. Dr Melanie Woodfield offers advice on navigating the in-law dynamics. The Christmas season is filled with present-buying, pavlova-wrangling and, for many, an acknowledgement of the …
Stress less: relationship hacks for new parents
Nothing changes a relationship like a new baby. The strain of having new demands on your time and attention, and the severe lack of sleep can make your relationship feel like a battleground. Just remember that bonds formed in battle are strong, and, …
How to rock your relationship - after baby arrives
As the somewhat antiquated rhyme goes: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in a baby carriage." What they neglect to tell you is that after that comes at least a few months of sleep and sexless nights, nagging remarks, and …
Sex during pregnancy
PART 1: SEX DURING PREGNANCY You'd better lock the door and draw the curtains before you read this! Sex during pregnancy is one of the last taboos. Should you, or shouldn't you? In this first article of a two-part series, Dr Rachel Jones explains …
Keeping the spark alive
When 'couple' becomes 'family', your journey together takes a new turn. While it's an exciting time, the arrival of a baby can wreak havoc on the balance you and your partner had worked out in your relationship. It can be all too easy to forget why …
Is LOVE all you really need?
Blockbuster movies, top-selling novels, and chart-topping hits all cash in on love. But love is far from trivial. It is, as counsellor Jenny Sharkey explains, a powerful force we’d do well to harness. The lyric "love is all you need” is not merely a …
Contraception after baby
Apart from the occasional harassed new father of four who has rushed straight from the hospital to organise a vasectomy for himself, new parents are often just too busy to give contraception much thought. Many couples assume that the mini-pill or …
Sex after childbirth
Dr Rachel Jones tackles the taboo subject of what happens to your sex life after baby arrives. Sex in the months following childbirth can be a stressful issue for many new parents. You've successfully navigated your way through nine months of …
What does romance look like in a marriage?
More words of wisdom from our favourite Nashville-based marriage counsellor Marie McKinney-Oates For the very first Thriving in Marriage link party we’re talking about romance in marriage. Does it exist? Can marriage feel like dating? Can it exist …
When an atomic bomb goes off in your relationship
How to avoid complacency in a relationship that can lead to disaster — sensible advice from marriage coach Marie McKinney-Oates One of the first couples I saw when I started Nashville Marriage Studio had just been rocked by some crazy news: she …
Attachment parents should be attachment spouses too
Attachment Parents should be Attachment Spouses, too By Marie McKinney-Oate from Nashville Marriage Studio When I talk about the attachment needs in your relationship most people think I’m nuts. That I’m being unnecessarily touchy feely. “I don’t …
When the past slaps the present in the face
When the Past Slaps the Present in the Face By Marie McKinney-Oates from Nashville Marriage Studio Mark and I had a big fight this Christmas during a Santa photo experience... That’s right. We were the couple in front of you in the Santa Line …
10 childhood wounds to overcome for a better marriage
By Marie McKinney-Oates The other day I wrote about how my past hurts came back to haunt my present marriage. One great thing about good therapy (or decent coaching) is that it can help you see where your yesterday might be impacting your …
How to get over the "bumps" in your marriage
How do you get those "bugs" out of your relationship that can threaten to destroy it? Advice from marriage coach Marie McKinney-Oates: So, my dad and I were discussing all of this cold weather we’ve had lately. He said, “The cold is just God’s way …
10 top tips for a great marriage
"Saying, 'I love you' never gets old." These are some of the words of advice on how to have a happy marriage from our friends of Facebook. We asked them for their top tips and, as ever, they came up with some great ideas: 1. I read recently that …
Flirt with Your Husband - Here's Why!
Remember the days of early romance - the butterflies in the stomach, the cute, playful teasing, the hair twirling and eyelash batting? Oh yes .. flirting is fabulous! And just because you've been with your beau for years and you've even had a …
Are you Happily Incompatible?
Opposites attract and then prove very difficult to live with. Speaker and personality expert Allison Mooney takes a look at the four general personality types and offers tips on how to get along with the one you live with. As a speaker I travel a …
