Bringing Baby Home
Strengthen your relationship in the transition to parenthood
A live, research-based Gottman workshop for expectant and new parents. Learn practical tools to stay connected, communicate more effectively and build a strong foundation for your growing family.
ONLINE RELATIONSHIP BOOST
Build an extraordinary relationship. Together.
A live online couples retreat designed to give you the time, space and practical tools to reconnect, understand each other more deeply and keep building a relationship you both love.
What is Bringing Baby Home?
A live online workshop for expectant and new parents
Having a baby is one of life's most significant transitions. Alongside the excitement, love and anticipation, becoming parents can bring unexpected changes to your relationship, your sense of identity and the way you connect with each other.
Between sleepless nights, changing priorities and the demands of caring for a little one, it can be easy for your relationship to take a back seat.
But your relationship matters, too.
Bringing Baby Home is a research-based program developed by The Gottman Institute to help couples navigate the transition to parenthood, strengthen their connection and build a positive foundation for family life.
Join Dr Katie Stirling for four live, interactive online evenings designed to give you practical tools, meaningful conversations and dedicated time to invest in your relationship as you grow your family.
As a Clinical Psychologist and Certified Gottman Couples Therapist with a particular interest in perinatal mental health, Katie understands the important role our closest relationships play in emotional wellbeing, mental health and the healthy development of children.
We spend so much time preparing for the arrival of a baby, researching prams, setting up nurseries and making sure we have everything our little one might need. Yet one of the most valuable investments we can make in our child's future is often overlooked: investing in the relationship between their parents.
Bringing Baby Home is an opportunity to do just that.
Becoming Parents Changes Everything. Your Relationship Doesn't Have to Get Lost Along the Way.
Research from The Gottman Institute found that approximately two-thirds of couples experience a significant decline in relationship satisfaction during the first three years after having a baby.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
The transition to parenthood brings enormous changes to daily routines, sleep, emotional and physical intimacy, responsibilities and expectations. Even couples with strong relationships can find themselves feeling disconnected, overwhelmed or caught in patterns of frustration and misunderstanding.
The good news is that there are things you can do to prepare for these changes and navigate them together.
Bringing Baby Home helps couples understand the challenges of early parenthood and develop practical relationship skills that support connection, communication and teamwork.
Whether you're preparing to welcome your first baby or already navigating life with a little one, this workshop offers an opportunity to strengthen your relationship during one of life's most important transitions.
What we'll explore together
Strengthen Your Friendship & Connection
Learn how to maintain emotional closeness, nurture your friendship and continue turning towards each other, even when life feels busy and demanding.
Communicate & Manage Conflict
Develop practical strategies to navigate disagreements, reduce unnecessary conflict and communicate your needs with greater understanding and compassion.
Navigate Intimacy & Changes in Your Relationship
Explore how physical and emotional intimacy can change during pregnancy and early parenthood, and discover ways to maintain affection, connection and closeness as your relationship evolves.
Work Together as a Parenting Team
Understand how expectations, parenting roles and the division of responsibilities can affect your relationship, and develop ways to support one another as you navigate family life.
Understand Your Baby's Emotional World
Explore the foundations of emotional development, responsive parenting and the importance of building a secure, nurturing relationship with your baby.
Create a Strong Foundation for Family Life
Reflect on your shared values, hopes and expectations for your growing family, and develop positive habits that support your relationship and your child's wellbeing.
A Different Kind of Online Workshop
Practical, interactive and designed for real life.
Bringing Baby Home isn't simply about listening to information. It's about making time for meaningful conversations and learning skills you can put into practice in your everyday life.
Across four live online evenings, Katie will guide you through a combination of research-based education, practical relationship exercises and opportunities for reflection.
You'll have dedicated time to work privately with your partner, explore your own relationship and practise the tools introduced throughout the program.
The workshop is delivered in a supportive group setting, but you won't be expected to share personal details about your relationship with other participants. You're welcome to contribute to discussions if you feel comfortable doing so. With sessions spread across four weeks, you'll also have opportunities to practise what you've learned between workshops.
And because we know life with a baby doesn't always go to plan, babies are absolutely welcome to join.
Bringing Baby Home isn't simply about listening to information. It's about making time for meaningful conversations and learning skills you can put into practice in your everyday life.
Across four live online evenings, Katie will guide you through a combination of research-based education, practical relationship exercises and opportunities for reflection.
You'll have dedicated time to work privately with your partner, explore your own relationship and practise the tools introduced throughout the program.
The workshop is delivered in a supportive group setting, but you won't be expected to share personal details about your relationship with other participants. You're welcome to contribute to discussions if you feel comfortable doing so. With sessions spread across four weeks, you'll also have opportunities to practise what you've learned between workshops.
And because we know life with a baby doesn't always go to plan, babies are absolutely welcome to join.
Who Is Bringing Baby Home For?
This workshop is designed for couples who are:
- Planning for a baby or preparing to become parents
- Expecting their first child or welcoming another baby
- Navigating the early years of parenthood, with children aged up to three
- Wanting to maintain connection and intimacy as their family grows
- Experiencing changes in communication, responsibilities or relationship dynamics
- Looking for practical ways to strengthen their relationship and work together as a parenting team
You don't need to be experiencing relationship difficulties to benefit. In fact, one of the most valuable times to invest in your relationship is before challenges arise.Bringing Baby Home is a relationship and parenting education workshop, rather than couples therapy. It is designed to support couples in developing skills and understanding that can benefit their relationship and family life.
Meet Your Facilitator
Dr Katie StirlingClinical Psychologist | Certified Gottman Couples Therapist | Master of Sexology
Katie is a Clinical Psychologist and Certified Gottman Couples Therapist with over a decade of clinical experience supporting individuals and couples through relationship challenges, significant life transitions and periods of change. Her work brings together an understanding of emotional wellbeing, relationships, intimacy and the broader experiences that shape how we connect with one another.
Alongside her work in couples therapy, Katie has a particular clinical interest in perinatal mental health and the psychological and relational transitions associated with pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Katie has completed additional training in perinatal mental health, including the Getting Ahead of Postnatal Depression program during her clinical registrar placement at the Austin Infant Clinic. She is also a trained Circle of Security Parenting Program Facilitator. Katie also holds a Master of Sexology, with her capstone research project exploring sexual health and wellbeing during the perinatal period.
As a trained Bringing Baby Home Educator, Katie combines the research-based Gottman program with her clinical experience and a warm, practical approach to helping couples strengthen their relationships. She believes that supporting the relationship between parents is an important part of supporting the wellbeing of the whole family, with benefits for parents' emotional wellbeing, their relationship and their infant's developing emotional world.
Alongside her work in couples therapy, Katie has a particular clinical interest in perinatal mental health and the psychological and relational transitions associated with pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Katie has completed additional training in perinatal mental health, including the Getting Ahead of Postnatal Depression program during her clinical registrar placement at the Austin Infant Clinic. She is also a trained Circle of Security Parenting Program Facilitator. Katie also holds a Master of Sexology, with her capstone research project exploring sexual health and wellbeing during the perinatal period.
As a trained Bringing Baby Home Educator, Katie combines the research-based Gottman program with her clinical experience and a warm, practical approach to helping couples strengthen their relationships. She believes that supporting the relationship between parents is an important part of supporting the wellbeing of the whole family, with benefits for parents' emotional wellbeing, their relationship and their infant's developing emotional world.
Workshop Dates & Investment
Bringing Baby Home — Live OnlineFour Monday Evenings | February 2027
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to be experiencing relationship difficulties?
Not at all. Bringing Baby Home is designed for couples at different stages of their relationship, including those who are doing well and simply want to prepare for the changes that come with parenthood.
Do we need to share personal information with the group?
No. While the workshop includes interactive learning, personal relationship exercises are completed privately with your partner. You won't be required to discuss personal relationship difficulties with other participants, although you're welcome to contribute to discussions if you feel comfortable doing so.
Is this couples therapy?
No. Bringing Baby Home is a structured, research-based relationship and parenting education program. While it is facilitated by a Clinical Psychologist and Certified Gottman Couples Therapist, it does not involve individualised couples therapy or clinical assessment.
Can we attend if our baby has already arrived?
Absolutely. The program is designed for expectant parents and couples with children up to three years of age.
Do we need to purchase the workbook?
Yes. The Gottman Bringing Baby Home digital workbook is a required resource for the workshop and is purchased separately from The Gottman Institute. The workbook includes practical exercises and resources you'll use throughout the program.
Can our baby be with us during the workshop?
Yes. Babies are welcome, and we understand that feeding, settling and caring for your baby may be part of your experience. We encourage you to participate in a way that works for your family.
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