When you look at the data, it is true that after people have kids, marital satisfaction declines. Having a baby drastically changes everything in your partnership that was familiar, that was predictable, that you got used to. And some of those are the reasons you got into the relationship in the first place. That’s the reality of having kids. And as much as we love them, it can be an incredible shock to the system. There were date nights, there were lazy Sunday mornings in bed, and now there are feedings and diaper changes, feeling touched-out, packing school lunches the night before or at 5:45 in the morning. To paraphrase Ethan Hawke’s character from Before Sunset: We used to be in love. Now we’re roommates who run a day care together.Today on ParentData, we're joined by Dr. Yael Schonbrun, a clinical psychologist, an author, and a researcher who focuses on the science and data behind healthier, happier relationships. And she’s here to help you baby-proof your relationship. Take heart: for many — probably most — couples, this issue is not hopeless.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.This episode is generously supported by: Hatch LMNT StrollerCoaster Podcast

Shots are never a fun experience. Even if you are enthusiastic about vaccines, holding your kids as they get them is not usually a high point of parenting. And right now, the conversation about vaccines is increasingly fraught - and not just because our kids are sometimes afraid of needles.Because we're living in a moment where vaccines, long one of the most trusted and studied preventative medical treatments in existence, are suddenly being viewed with skepticism. Debunked theories about the relationship between vaccines and autism, for example, are taking center stage on Instagram and  Facebook, but also in congressional hearings. Part of the problem is a lack of understanding. People don't know quite how vaccines work or why there are more now than in the past or how we can know that they are safe. Today on ParentData, we welcome Dr. Adam Davis. Adam is a pediatrician in the Bay Area, and he has a lot to say about vaccines from the perspective of someone who gives them. In the conversation, we talk about our theories on why the COVID vaccine sped up a slow-growing movement around vaccine skepticism, about the role that vaccines play in public health, about what it’s like for doctors to deal with vaccine skeptics in their own practice and what people can and can't be talked into or out of, and, because it’s a parenting podcast, some hacks for getting your kids through vaccines without too much drama.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.This episode is generously supported by: Hatch LMNT Little Sesame StrollerCoaster Podcast

Delve into the world of risk and uncertainty with a focus on parenting. Explore how economic principles can help parents manage anxiety over low-risk situations. Discover practical strategies for evaluating children's safety amid alarming headlines. Learn about enhancing sleep routines and the importance of outdoor play for children's well-being. Finally, gain insights into navigating everyday decisions around product safety and screen time, empowering parents to make informed choices.

Dr. Sara Reardon, known as 'The Vagina Whisperer,' is a board-certified pelvic floor therapist and author of the upcoming book, "Floored." In this discussion, she demystifies pelvic floor health, explaining its critical role in various life stages and bodily functions. Sara tackles the limitations of Kegels and shares insights on pelvic floor therapy techniques. She encourages open conversations about these often-taboo topics, promoting confidence and stigma-free awareness about pelvic health in women.

Tamron Hall, an award-winning talk show host known for her engaging interviews, shares her insights on the quirky challenges of parenting. She dives into the importance of dressing kids appropriately for unpredictable weather and introduces the amusing concept of the preschool jacket flip. Hall also touches on the complexities of parenting anxieties, balancing independence with emotional connections. With personal anecdotes and relatable humor, she captures the essence of modern parenting struggles.

In this episode, Dr. Nathan Fox, an OB-GYN and maternal-fetal medicine specialist, returns to share insights on navigating pregnancy healthcare. He discusses how to recognize when to call your doctor and the subjective nature of pregnancy symptoms. The conversation emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health during pregnancy, as well as promoting open communication with healthcare providers. Dr. Fox also offers strategies for empowering patients to ask the right questions and advocate for themselves in medical settings.

In a thought-provoking discussion, Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist, and Brian Caplan, an economist, tackle the complex decision of whether to have children. They explore changing societal norms and declining fertility rates, highlighting their implications for family structures. Douthat provides insights on population trends, while Caplan debunks myths about parenting costs. The duo also navigates the emotional and practical aspects of parenthood, advocating for a supportive environment that fosters positive family dynamics in today’s complex world.

Dr. Bapu Jena, an economist and physician at Harvard Medical School, delves into the chaotic world of panic headlines that influence parenting choices. He discusses how misleading headlines about everyday products often create unnecessary fears among parents. The conversation highlights the critical difference between correlation and causation in research. Jena also explores the biases in scientific studies and the role of media, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in navigating nutrition research and reassuring parents facing anxiety.

If you spend any time in parenting circles, it’s hard to avoid being inundated with “types” of parenting. Parenting labels are not neutral. Some are positive, some negative, but they’re never just descriptive. And lately, the most ink has been spilled over "gentle" parenting (also called permissive or respectful parenting). Gentle parenting, at its core, is an approach to behavior characterized by acknowledging a child’s feelings and not using punishments or rewards.But does it work? Let's see what the evidence says!Today on ParentData, Emily reads her recent article on gentle parenting aloud, digging into both the data, and also how hard the data is to evaluate.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

The United States is one of the only countries in the world that doesn’t guarantee paid parental leave. We point out this fact a lot, but what does it really mean when a family doesn't have the ability to take time off when a baby is born?It means a lot of things. It means moms going back to work while still recovering from childbirth, it means parents struggling to figure out child care for their baby, and it often means babies going to group child care settings, which may be wonderful but do expose them to germs —  germs that are more dangerous when babies are small than when they’re bigger. We can talk about these different challenges and why they might matter for kids’ and families’ outcomes, but to figure out how much they matter and in what ways...that’s what research is for.Today on ParentData, we're joined by Dr. Katherine Ahrens and Dr. Jennifer Hutcheon, who are both epidemiologists and professors. They recently published a paper titled “Paid Family Leave and Prevention of Acute Respiratory Infections in Young Infants," an analysis of paid leave in New York State, and the impacts of that paid leave on hospitalizations for infants, mostly for RSV. The paper's bottom line is that paid family leave keeps babies healthier and keeps them out of the hospital, and now we have the data to prove it and to show that the effects are large in terms of numbers. But putting together a research paper like this is surprisingly tricky. You need to know what questions you’re asking, and you need to think about how you’re going to determine causality rather than just correlation. So we’re going to take their research from idea to final peer-reviewed paper, and we’re going to talk about everything you always wanted to know about how research is conducted. Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.