I asked my husband to pay into my pension when we had a child - here's why

When Molly and Taylor Haylett started their family, they hadn't really planned for what it would mean financially.

"Our first child surprised us, so we weren't prepared for it," says Molly, 30, a financial adviser from Essex.

Molly and Taylor, who's a train driver, were earning similar amounts, but once Molly spent more time at home with their baby, the balance changed.

"Taylor's career propelled and mine took a step back," she says. "There's an unintended impact on the person who spends more time at home with the kids."

One of the things the couple decided to do was have Taylor contribute to Molly's pension while she was off work.

It is something she thinks far more couples should discuss before having children.

She explains that she recently had a conversation about this with a friend as she is going to stop working after having children.

"My friend said, 'How would I even ask him to do that?' And I said, 'You've got to just ask him.'

"People think only about the present and paying the bills but the person taking time off work could end up with much less in the future."

Taylor, 33, admits it was not something he knew about but was on board with Molly's suggestion.

"We committed to a life together and if I could help out I would and I was pleased that I did," he says.

He adds that Molly is the more organised of the two when it comes to planning and budgeting, but says he still wants to understand where their money is going.