The Mommy Zone: Freelancing While Pregnant

I need to confess something from the outset: I don’t do pregnancy well. Before I became pregnant with my oldest child, a part of me bought into the idea that babies were something that people had and that expecting one shouldn’t have to interfere with your life all that much. In my very naive mindset, I figured that being pregnant was something that you could run in the background of your life while you concentrated on work and other things.

Boy, was I wrong. I don’t think anyone could have explained to me that I was going to be swept along in something primeval was way bigger than me. As much as I had pictured myself being in control of the process, I wasn’t. You can freelance while pregnant, but may need to adjust your expectations and your schedule to make it work.

Photo Credit: davhor via Flickr

Be Patient with Yourself

One thing I learned while freelancing during pregnancy was that I needed to be patient with myself. No one told me that morning sickness could happen at any time of the day or night, and that’s what it was like for me. When my doctor suggested eating potato chips to help with the nausea, I was willing to try anything. (It did help.)

I work from home, so it was a little easier to manage having to take time out to deal with being sick. At that point, I only communicated with clients through e-mail so there was no chance that I would have to interrupt a phone call or leave a meeting for this reason.

If you can find certain times of the day when you feel more energetic or less distracted by having to either throw up or use the washroom, use them to your advantage. Plan to work on projects that require the most concentration then, and don’t overbook yourself. There may be some days when you just aren’t able to focus as well as you would like to on your work and you need to learn to take them as they come and hope that tomorrow will be better.

Plan for the Unexpected

In a perfect world, you would feel wonderful every day of your pregnancy and you would give birth right on your due date so that you could make sure that your projects are completed before you have the baby. Unfortunately, life is not perfect, and you may run into complications in your pregnancy that mean you have to change your workload or take some time off earlier than you had planned.
If you develop health issues that require you to go on bed rest, cut back on your hours or make other changes to your business, keep your clients in the loop. It’s not a bad idea to have a contact list on hand so that you can have someone else reach out to your clients if you are not able to do so yourself.

You could explain that you have developed some complications in your pregnancy and that means you need to do [X]. Then follow up that statement with a plan for your client. Tell him or her if you need an extension on a deadline or you need to cut back on the amount of work you are doing. In a case where you will be out of commission for a while, offer to refer your client to a fellow freelancer until you are ready to start working again. Your goal is to offer a solution to the issue, not just dump it in the client’s lap and run.

“Birth” Day and Afterwards

Babies tend to have their own schedules and you may find that yours decides to make an appearance earlier than you had anticipated or you could still be a very pregnant lady in waiting two weeks after your due date. Even with the best laid out birth plan, your delivery may not go the way you were hoping, either.

When you are planning for life and freelancing after baby, build a cushion of time and put away some funds in advance. You may end up having a C-section which means a longer hospital stay and recovery. Your bundle of joy may develop colic. Even if you have the easiest delivery ever, you are going to be tired and sore.

You are the best judge of when to start freelancing again after having the baby and how much work you can take on. When family members and friends offer to help, say, “Yes,” and if they don’t offer, speak up and tell them what you need. Your new baby won’t be a newborn forever and as he or she gets a little older, you will find it easier to get back on a regular schedule.

Jodee Redmond

Jodee is a freelance writer, editor and blogger. She is also a mother of two. You can visit her online at her site or on Twitter .

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