Heres Why Couples Are Signing Baby Prenups (And How to Know If You Should, Too)

Heres Why Couples Are Signing Baby Prenups (And How to Know If You Should, Too) A new trend thats rising in popularity among soon-to-be parents is signing baby prenups before the birth of a child. While signing a baby prenup is elend right for every couple, for those who choose to do it, it can be a super prepared way of entering into parenthood together.As more and more parents both work full time, more than half (56 percent) of all working parents say that balancing work and home life is a difficult one for them, a recent Pew Research Center survey suggests. And among working mothers in particular, 41 percent report that being a parent has made it harder for them to advance in their career, while only about 20 percent of working fathers say the same. Thats largely because a wealth of research suggests that mothers are too often forced to bear the burden of all or most parenting responsibilities and household chores.Baby prenups, then, can help working mothers in particular, who pre tty much never stop working unless theyre sleeping. The baby prenup might, for example, specify who is going to take care of night feedings, diaper changes, daycare drop-offs, grocery shopping for the family, doctor appointments, school or extracurricular drop-offs, etc. It might also delineate a clear budget that outlines how much each parent is going to contribute to their shared savings account, education funds, childcare costs and other child-related expenses. And it might even designate time for partners to engage in some self-care practices.Of course, life happens and one partner may lose a job or kiste ill, for examples, and, therefore, be unable to honor some or all of their share of parenting contract and that may be a short- or long-term issue. Maybe someone is just running late from work and cant pick their child up from daycare that day, or one parent has an important, unmovable doctor appointment of their own, and they dont have time to take their child to their doctor appointment that day. Thats why many baby prenups also offer flexibility in the contract and stress that consistent and honest communication is critical.For some parents, baby prenups may seem ridiculous like theyre both adults who can, should and will plan to do their best parenting possible. They may expect to lean on each other and help each other out, but they may not want to specifically outline expectations of each other. That could seem, to some, distrustful.But even talking through the factors that couples who create baby prenups discuss could help all expectant couples to manage their new lives.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about womens empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram her_report,Twitterherreportand Facebook.