About The Study
Before the big transition : Pregnancy visits

Nearly all parents say, after their baby arrives, that they just could not have fully anticipated the sweeping changes in their lives that the baby brought. But what do expecting parents anticipate about family life as they await the baby? Where do these expectations come from? How much of an impact do the expectations end up having on family life after the baby's arrival - if they have any impact at all? These and other questions are being answered by couples who are taking part in the pregnancy phase assessments of the Families through Time Study.

During the pregnancy visits, couples visit Clark University's Family Study Center, where thet talk with researchers about their hopes, aspirations, worries and expectacies about their families to be. They also reflect back on life in the families they grew up in, and work together with their partners on a pair of problem-solving discussions. Last, they complete some surveys about topics such as ideas about parenting, management of household tasks, and personal habits and hobbies.

From this information, researchers willl be able to take a "prospective" look at the factors during pregnancy that predict later child and family characteristics after the baby's arrival.