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Old Jul 14, 2011, 12:07 AM
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RomanSunburn RomanSunburn is offline
Poohbah
 
Member Since: May 2008
Location: East Coast, USA
Posts: 1,293
You university will definitely have mental health services on campus, so that is something you should look into. They can also give you a list of off campus therapists and psychiatrists that would probably have sliding scale fees for low income families. And any public library will have a good collection of parenting books, if you're interested in looking at those too.

I think you and your girlfriend need to decide if you want to stay together for reasons other than a child. If the two of you stay together just because of the baby you have together, you're relationship could be very volatile and unstable, eventually causing more emotional/mental harm to your kid than good. You can still be there for your child as a father without having to stay with your girlfriend if the relationship isn't going to be healthy or positive. I think because she got pregnant so early on it's going to change dynamics completely and make this a lot more difficult than if she wasn't. The relationship won't get to progress naturally; you'll both feel a lot of pressure. If you do think this is a relationship that you'd be interested in continuing, with or without the child, then I think counseling for one or both of you could be very beneficial. A therapist can help you learn to communicate with one another, as well as teach you how to balance the stress of being a new parent and the up and down's of being in a new relationship. Also, compromising would be something to work on. I like the idea of offering to pamper her (bubble bath, shaving her legs, lotion). Maybe you could suggest a few nights a week, the two of you go to bed together and the other nights you get to stay up late without a fight. Or maybe you could read in bed when she's going to sleep.

I think you're doing a great job. Going to school full time while making sure the household is running smoothly is a lot of work! Don't sell yourself short. Make sure you fill out the FAFSA; you might be able to get some work study on campus next year.

Good luck!! I'm sending positive thoughts your way
Thanks for this!
NSH4