Starting a family comes with its own share of resources, time, money and new set of characters. As such, it will greatly help if you and your partner start preparing for the long term journey so you both are fully immersed in the family affairs- emotionally, financially, mentally and even spiritually.

Here are 4 important things both the male and female genders should have before starting a family:

Financial Stability

These days, it has become normal for both partners to continue having careers, even after having children, so that they can better provide for the needs of their growing family. However, it’s also important to have multiple streams of income to further augment your savings, and to prepare you and your family for any untoward circumstances, such as a medical emergency or sudden loss of employment.

As such, it will greatly help if you and your partner start saving up for these expenses prior to having a child. This way, you can be able to allocate financial resources for the expenses that are bound to come, even those that you haven’t even thought about. Having a savings fund will give you the peace of mind that you have enough saved to provide for your family, as well as your personal needs.

Emotional Discipline

This is the most important question of all because if you aren’t emotionally ready to raise a child, nothing else really matters. Do you want to be a parent? Do you want to focus your life on protecting and providing for a small creature who will be completely dependent on you? Having doubts and feeling insecure is completely normal. After all, parenthood is anything but easy. There will probably never be a moment in your life when everything is 100% perfect, and this isn’t just about the logistics of taking care of a baby. It’s about listening to what your instincts tell you—can you imagine yourself in the role of a parent, and are you happy in this picture? If yes, then that’s a good sign.

A Strong Support System

It takes a village to raise a child—the old adage stands true even today, so don’t be afraid to seek support. Your parents, other family members, and even your friends can jump in to help occasionally, and you can also hire childcare services and babysitters. Your baby will benefit from having a good support network of competent adults around them, so don’t start believing you’re in this all alone.

In the end, it all boils down to whether you feel ready. As we’ve mentioned before, your life will never be 100% perfect, so figure out what you want and slowly start making plans to make it come true.

Going through pregnancy is hard, so it’s important you have a strong support system around you. Whether it’s your family, friends or a strong team of professionals, having people you know and trust around you during your pregnancy is important. They’ll be able to hold your hand throughout and hard moments, celebrate the milestones and give you trusted advice if you need it.

A Strong & Stable Relationship

Although this may be the last thing on your mind, having a strong relationship is important when considering to start a family. Although a lot of families don’t necessarily need two parents in order to survive, having a loving family is something that should be considered important when trying to conceive.

If you are starting a family without a strong relationship around you, it is important you have that strong support network we mentioned previously. They will be able to support you throughout all of the highs and lows of pregnancy, and all of the joys of being a first-time parent.