Your relationship is the foundation of your family’s health.

Family begins before birth. So does preparing for it.

Partners to Parents is a brief, personalized relationship checkup for expectant couples—designed to strengthen your connection, deepen mutual support, and help you prepare together for the emotional and relational changes of becoming parents.

Because preparing for a baby is also about envisioning the family you hope to become—and reflecting on the values, relationships, and ways of caring for one another that you want to shape your family life.

Supporting two generations at once

Pregnancy isn’t only the beginning of a baby’s development. It’s also the beginning of a profound transition for partners into new identities as parents.

How you and your partner understand and support one another, manage stress, and prepare for your new roles shapes your well-being now, after birth—and your baby’s healthy development.

Partners to Parents brings relationship health into prenatal preparation—supporting couples today while strengthening the foundations of family health for the next generation.

Begin parenthood feeling more connected, more intentional, and more prepared to navigate the journey ahead together.

Think of it as preventive care for your relationship—much like prenatal care is preventive care for you & your baby’s health. We’re building upon what’s already working and preparing together for changes ahead.

Strengthen Your Connection

Understand the strengths and vulnerabilities you bring into parenthood together.

Prepare for Change

Talk openly about how roles, responsibilities, and support needs may change after your baby arrives.

Become a Stronger Team

Build intimacy by understanding how to best support one another before the demands of new parenthood intensify.

Envision Your Family

Reflect on what you each bring from your own families—and what you hope to carry forward or do differently.

Program FAQ

  • By participating in Partners to Parents, you'll have the opportunity to strengthen your relationship before your baby arrives—building communication, resilience, and connection during one of life's biggest transitions.

    Your participation will also help shape the future of perinatal care. Partners to Parents has been developed and pilot-tested in collaboration with a leading academic medical center, and we are continuing to refine the program based on feedback from participating couples. By sharing your experience, you'll help us create an even more effective resource for future parents and families.

  • Partners to Parents is designed for couples who are:

    • Expecting a baby and less than 36 weeks pregnant

    • Trying to conceive

    • Have been living together for at least 6 months

      • English-speaking (Future versions will be available in multiple languages)

    Whether your relationship feels strong or you're noticing areas of strain, the program is designed to help you enter this next chapter with greater confidence, understanding, and connection

  • Participation is completely free. Before beginning the program, you'll complete a few online questionnaires. You'll then participate in two virtual sessions with a licensed couple and family psychologist, scheduled at times that are convenient for you.

    After completing the program, we'll ask you for brief oral feedback. Your insights will help us refine Partners to Parents and make it even more helpful for future couples and families.

Many couples tell us these conversations are ones they always wanted to have—but never found the time or structure to begin. Interested in learning more about how you and your partner can participate?

Partners to Parents is offered at no cost to participate for couples who qualify.

Relational health is family health

Research & Development

Partners to Parents was developed by Ellen Darling, PhD, a clinical psychologist and researcher specializing in couple relationships, perinatal mental health, and the transition to parenthood.

An earlier version of the program was developed and pilot-tested in an academic OB/Gyn setting with promising results. Partners to Parents is now being further studied and refined with academic collaborators as part of a broader effort to reimagine prenatal care as more comprehensive and preventive—one that supports not only physical health, but also the relational and emotional foundations of family well-being.

Our long-term goal is to make relationship health a routine and accessible part of preparing couples for parenthood.

We’d love to meet you

Enduring relationships don't happen by accident or good luck. They begin with regular attention.

Schedule a complimentary 15-minute introductory call to learn more about Partners to Parents and whether the study is right for you.