ESA note from Liza — I run Regular’s news desk. I’m a mom of one, not a clinician — I surface the research and headlines that actually touch a dad’s first year, in plain language. Why trust us.
Here's the part worth sitting with: people drew a sharp boundary. Match summed it up as "help with the hard parts, but hands off for the human parts." Punch up the message, unstick the conversation — fine. Outsource the actual connection — no. That's not anti-tech. That's exactly the right instinct, and it's the line we build on too.
For a wiped-out new dad, the hard part was never the loving. You love your partner and your kid. The hard part is knowing what to say when she's distant, you're running on three hours of sleep, and the last four things you tried landed wrong. That's not a character flaw — it's the season. A second perspective on that one moment isn't a replacement for closeness; it's what gets you back into the room with her.
What it means for you: Let a tool help with the part you're stuck on — the wording, the timing — and keep the actual moment yours. Here's the map of where most couples get stuck after a baby, and why reconnecting rarely fails for lack of love.
Source: TechCrunch reporting on a Match Group survey of 1,000 US adults aged 18–39, June 18, 2026. Regular helps you stay connected day to day; it isn't a substitute for therapy.