Marital Transitions

This week we talked about how to avoid the baby blues. This was an interesting topic for me because we are obviously not at that point in our marriage yet and it is something that we will be going through in our near future (relatively).
We talked about how and why mothers and fathers may feel a decline in their marital satisfaction after a baby is born. In a nut shell, the woman may feel overburdened (her work load goes up around 64%) and that the father isn't doing much to help. She feels an extra amount of stress and pressure. Plus, she is EXHAUSTED. That never helps. On the flip side, the father's work load goes up too (around 20-30%) and is also feeling a little overworked from that little stinker who is living with them now. He feels he is putting in a lot of effort that is not appreciated (remember because the new mother has a bigger work load). Also, a new mom can become a little "protective" of her new child and want to supervise everything the new father is doing when he is helping out so he does it "the right way". This can add more stress to both parties.
But luckily there are ways to avoid this. I thought about this a lot because I could see myself being that kind of mother. I would want some support and I would want my husband to be involved in the child care, but I might be inclined to give him some negative feedback when he does want to help, if it wasn't to my "satisfaction". I would view this as a "teaching" opportunity and once it was rectified would think all is well in Zion. But he would still feel a little mistrust on my part and perhaps a sense of inadequacy. That would not be good for either of us.
So all in all, this was a very good chapter for me to read! When that time comes I've committed myself to making a special effort to give my husband the adequate attention he needs (also, some husbands may feel neglected because the baby is taking up the time they would normally spend together) and giving him positive reinforcement when he wants to help with baby. Also, encouraging his involvement can help the father and child bond. I think it is all a matter of attitude. There are things we can do to encourage good attitudes and harmony in our home, but if we both have good attitudes about our new situation (it may not always be easy, but possible!) we will get through without it affecting our relationship too drastically.
Any other suggestions? Please comment :)