Falling in love can be easy, but staying in it after a baby or two comes along is sometimes a challenge for many who unintentionally put their babies first, prioritizing them before even the relationship that brought them into the world in the first place. Let’s have a look at three tips that can help you and your partner keep your marriage healthy after you have children.

Communicate Openly and Often

Communication will always be at the forefront of any successful relationship, whether a romantic one or any other. Because of this, purpose to communicate with your partner openly and often. If you encounter an issue that you feel needs resolution, bring it up and work on it until it’s solved. Sweeping things under the carpet will only lead to resentment and complications for both of you down the road. With almost 7.2 million Americans, a sum of 4.4 million men, and 2.8 million women, saying they have hidden a credit card or bank account from their spouses or partners, it’s clear to see that not everyone in marriage is a champion of free and open communication. Discuss finances from the start and plan for a successful future, knowing that children will bring a lot of extra expenses into the equation and it’s best to work together.

Accept the Change and Build From It

It’s good to be ready for the changes that having a baby will bring to your lives because, this way, you will be able to prepare for them well. More duties, less time to spend with your spouse or do the things you love, and of course, less energy. Understanding and accepting this from the very start will prepare you for it when it eventually comes to pass, and you may even be able to work on a plan for it together. Make sure to do the things you can do before the baby arrives and you no longer have the time to do them, like planning your estate. With 71% of Americans saying that they would feel like a good parent or spouse if they had a well-thought-out estate, get this done early on in the marriage.

Maintain the Romance

Finally, just because you can no longer cuddle without your baby wedging themselves between you doesn’t mean you should stop trying to cuddle altogether. While you will admittedly have a shorter time, less attention, a stricter budget, and a lot less energy, you should strive to maintain the romance that you had at the beginning. Doing this will help you maintain the bond between the two of you, and your children will be exposed to a healthy relationship between their parents as they grow, something that will be extremely beneficial for their mental health. About 88% of people responding to a survey said that a gift of flowers improved their mood, and this makes it easy to see that many people enjoy receiving thoughtful gifts and gestures. For the sake of your marriage, do your best to keep the romance alive, even when it feels like it may be pointless. No good deed will go unnoticed, and when the children are all grown and ready to spread their wings and fly, you will be happy to have each other fully once again.

Try the three tips above to help strengthen your marriage and reinforce it against the challenges that come with having children. Although it may be really hard to do at first, you will get better at it and it will be easier, helping you maintain the love you had at the start, and perhaps making it grow even stronger.