For couples going through IVF or preparing to welcome a baby, the focus is often on the immediate: embryo transfers, blood tests, scan dates, setting up the nursery, and preparing for birth. These are big, emotional milestones that deserve our full attention.
But there’s another kind of planning that often gets overlooked — and it’s one of the most important things you can do to support your relationship and protect your family’s future: planning your life together after the baby arrives.
We will be at the Fertility Expo this year to explore the practical and financial side of things — with a focus on how couples can use Binding Financial Agreements (BFAs) to create clarity and confidence in this new chapter.
Why Talk About Finances Now?
When you’re in the process of creating a family — especially through assisted reproduction — your heart is full. You’re dreaming about names, planning feeding routines, and imagining what your child will be like. But alongside all that joy, there can be quiet worries that creep in:
- Who will take parental leave?
- Will one of us stop working altogether?
- What happens to our finances if we’re living on one income?
- How will unpaid labour like feeding, nappies, and housework be valued?
- What if we disagree on how money should be spent or saved?
These are normal and valid concerns. But rather than avoiding them or assuming they’ll sort themselves out, it’s far better to talk about them now, while things are calm and cooperative.
Enter: The Binding Financial Agreement
In Australia, couples can enter into a Binding Financial Agreement (sometimes called a “pre-nup” or “post-nup”) to set out how their finances will be managed — both during the relationship and in the event of a separation.
While they’re often associated with wealth or divorce, BFAs can actually be a beautiful act of mutual care. They allow you to:
- Make sure both partners’ contributions (financial or otherwise) are acknowledged
- Clarify what happens to existing assets (like a house one partner owned before the relationship)
- Set expectations around income sharing, debt, and property
- Reduce the emotional and financial toll of future disputes
- Create a sense of stability, especially if one partner is stepping back from work to care for the child.
Far from being unromantic, many of our clients say that creating a BFA actually brought them closer together — because it forced them to have conversations they hadn’t thought to have yet.
Questions to Explore Together
Whether or not you decide to put a legal agreement in place, here are some questions every couple should talk about before or soon after the birth of a child:
- Parental Leave: Who will take leave, and for how long? What will that mean for our finances?
- Career & Income: Will one of us work less or pause our career? How will we share resources fairly?
- Household Roles: Who will take the lead on feeding, night shifts, cleaning, and admin?
- Financial Decisions: Do we have similar views on spending, saving, and budgeting?
- Future Planning: What if one of us is offered a job interstate? What if we separate down the track?
These aren’t easy questions — but they’re essential ones. And the earlier you start the conversation, the easier it becomes to navigate the changes that come with growing your family.
But What If It’s Awkward?
We get it. Talking about money or legal stuff when you’re in love — and possibly still adjusting to the idea of being parents — can feel awkward or unnecessary. You might worry that raising these topics will rock the boat or send the wrong message.
But here’s the truth: relationships are strongest when they’re built on trust, honesty, and shared understanding. You’re not “jinxing” your love by planning ahead. You’re protecting it.
Think of it like taking out insurance or drafting a will. You don’t plan to need it — but you’re glad to have it if things change. And in the meantime, it gives you peace of mind and confidence to move forward together.
Our Invitation to You
If you’re attending the Fertility Expo — or even if you’re just in the midst of planning your future family — we invite you to take a moment to pause and ask:
Have we talked about life after birth?
Have we explored how we’ll manage finances, care responsibilities, and future decisions as a team?
If the answer is no — that’s okay. You’re not behind. But now is the perfect time to start.
Because preparing for your baby is about more than cots and car seats. It’s about preparing your relationship, your future, and your family’s foundation — together.
