Chapter list and summary

1. Brace yourself
   - Why so many more of us end up separating now – and how to rate your survival risks
2. Ready, set, baby-grow
   - Issues to discuss now to avoid arguments later on and leave time for enjoying parenthood
3. Mr & Mrs 50s revival
   - Understanding what life’s like for each other and finding a balance that functions for you, including sharing more and working less
4. Where’d the time go?
   - How to find the time you need for each other, for yourselves and for the kids
5. Getting by with a little help from… anyone
   - Building up support networks, from Granny & co to other parents
6. Let’s talk about Sex
   - From the reality check to the great Libidon’t – and how to get sex back on the menu
7. In sickness and in health
   - Tackling exhaustion, the blues and Postnatal Depression
8. If it wasn’t hard enough already
   - Preparing for extra pressures if becoming parents has been a struggle or your kids suffer physical, mental or behavioural difficulties
9. No sex please, we’re separating
   - Don’t stay together for your kids’ sakes… stay together for your own: advice and warning on what separation and divorce really mean
10. The Law
    - What the law says if things do go wrong

Who's the book for?

The book is aimed at parents at three different stages:

1. Parents-to-be. Whether they’re excited, nervous or purely terrified about what lies beyond the birth, this book will help them do some crucial relationship preparation. It’ll also provide much-needed relief from the worry-yourself-silly pregnancy manuals.
2. New parents who are looking at the years ahead and are keen to ensure they enjoy parenthood and their new family as much as they can. Maybe they’re surprised by how hard it is sometimes and want a few tips on how they can put a bit more fun back into things. The book is well-balanced, which means there'll be bits that Dads will desperately want their partners to read, just as there are parts Mums will want to put in front of their other halves. One of the major aims of this book is more understanding - and that's exactly what ti'll help deliver.
3. Mums and Dads of under-5s, who find themselves loving their kids, but not loving each other as much as they used to. If they think they might join the one-in-five couples who split before their kids turn 5, this book will help them make a really good job of trying to keep it together – and it provides expert advice on what to do if the relationship does split.

Working part-time

Oliver: "Writing the book has turned me into the world's biggest advocate of part-time working. It won't be the answer for everyone, and a lot of people will find their jobs just don't allow for it. But new Dads should certainly consider it. In fact - if Governments are really serious about protecting families, then they should actively encourage it. It's expensive, but it's a lot cheaper than separation..."

Women vs Men arguments

Melanie: "I'm really proud of how balanced the book is, how it captures both the male and female points of view. That's no accident. Oliver and I had to agree every word, so we argued loads while writing the book – from why it is that mothers often feel anger and resentment to whether men actually have lunch hours!
"These were probably arguments that only a brother-sister relationship could survive - if a couple had had them, it would have turned too personal. We only started to properly agree once we really started to understand what it’s like for each other. And that’s what I hope this book will do – help couples overcome problems and resentments or, even better, stop anger building up in the first place."