Jancee Dunn opens with candid personal narrative describing how new parenthood created significant, often surprising marital strain in her own relationship, normalizing this common but often unacknowledged experience for readers facing similar challenges.

Why normalizing this common strain matters:

• Many new parents experience genuine surprise and even shame regarding unexpected marital strain following childbirth, having not anticipated this common but often unacknowledged pattern
• Dunn's candid personal account normalizes this experience, providing validation that reduces the isolation many new parents feel regarding this common relational strain
• This opening establishes the book's candid, personal-narrative approach to addressing this significant but often underdiscussed challenge

This opening establishes the book's candid personal foundation, normalizing common but often unacknowledged marital strain following childbirth through Dunn's own honest narrative.