Healthy relationships and managing conflict

Healthy relationships

Having healthy relationships is important for your family’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Being pregnant or having a newborn often brings new challenges that can add stress to your relationships. Having positive relationships is particularly important at this time. It can help you get through these challenges together.

Some things that are important in healthy relationships are:

• mutual respect
• trust
• humour
• support
• communicating well most of the time
• freedom to be yourself
• freedom to make choices and decisions that are best for you, your partner and your family.

Read more about healthy relationships for parents on the Raising Children Network website.

Managing conflict

Disagreements are a healthy part of family life. We’re all individuals with different personalities and ways of doing things. We have different needs and different backgrounds. It's common for your relationship with your partner to change when you become parents. It's an adjustment for both of you and it's okay if that takes some time.

As a parent you might find yourself navigating some challenging times with your partner, your children and other family members. We can't expect to agree all the time, but ongoing conflict and tension can cause stress. It can also affect your relationships and wellbeing.

Resolving conflict effectively can help:

• you feel good about yourself and your partner
• teach your children how to talk about issues and reach compromises
• set your children up for their own strong and positive relationships throughout life.

Learn more about conflict management for parents on the Raising Children Network website.

Domestic and family violence

Domestic and family violence (DFV) is very different from disagreements and conflict that are normal parts of a healthy relationship. DFV is where one person in a relationship uses violence, abuse or coercive control to keep power and control over the other person. It can take many forms but it's not always physical. Often at the centre of domestic and family violence is coercive control. Coercive control is a pattern of abusive behaviour. It's when someone does things to manipulate, control and isolate you. It can be hard to know when it's happening.

When you’re pregnant or in the early parenting years, evidence shows you’re at a higher risk from domestic and family violence and coercive control.

Sometimes it can be hard to recognise the signs of a harmful relationship.

Learn more about the signs of:

• harmful relationships
• coercive control.

Domestic and family violence is never okay and it’s not your fault. DFV can happen to anyone.

Read more about the effects that domestic and family violence can have on you and your children on the Raising Children Network website.

Get help with domestic and family violence

If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence or coercive control you can call the following groups for help.

DVConnect Womensline

• Phone: 1800 811 811 (24 hours a day)
• Web: dvconnect.org/womensline

DVConnect Mensline

• Phone: 1800 600 636 (9 am to midnight)
• Web: dvconnect.org/mensline

1800RESPECT (National domestic family and sexual violence counselling service)

• Phone: 1800 737 732 (24 hours a day)
• Web: 1800respect.org.au