Maternity leave as a mompreneur looks a lot different from working in an office.
Being a mompreneur means juggling the responsibilities of running a business and raising a family. Taking maternity leave as a mompreneur can be especially challenging. But you need to recover. Remember, you have a dinner plate size wound inside of you. If everyone saw the same wound on your leg, they would demand that you rest. Since the wound is hidden, we forget that it still needs to heal.
Not only do you need to prioritize your healing, but you also need to bond with your baby, and then there is the sleep deprivation.
Long before you pack your mommy to be hospital bag you need to plan your maternity leave.
The Difference Between Taking Maternity Leave as a Mompreneur and an Office Worker
I worked as a corporate workhorse with my first 4 kids. So I maxed out my maternity leave each time. Typically, it was 10-12 weeks. Some dudes that I worked with always called it a vacation…but we won’t go there right now.
I knew that time with my baby was important, and it was always a struggle to go back to the corporate grind. Each time I gave birth, it reminded me about how much I needed to change how I worked.
For my last two kids, I was a freelancer, so that completely changed how I took maternity leave. For instance, instead of maxing out the time off, I only took 2–3 weeks off. I found it to be enough time; I needed to make money, and I could ease back into the daily schedule.
Planning Maternity Leave as a Mompreneur
As a momtrepreneur, you will plan your maternity leave differently. You are in control of your schedule, so it doesn’t need to be a hard transition. You can ease back into working for your clients. And it may be checking email during a 2am feeding. You are the queen of your schedule, so you get decided what you schedule looks like.
Remember, this is not the time to plan a new project or set out ambitious goals. As a mom of 6 kids, I know from experience that it takes a while to recover from giving birth and adjusting to a new baby. Give yourself grace.
If you are a homeschool mom, you may also need to plan time off. But that’s the best part of homeschooling, you can.
Here are five tips to help make the transition smoother and ensure a successful return to work.
1. Plan how long you will take
Yes, this is the most important step. Think through how long you can be away from your clients, how it will affect your budget, and if you have someone who can help.
The great thing about freelancing is that you can ease back into your schedule. So you may take 2-3 weeks off, but start back up working half the normal time. Taking maternity leave as a mompreneur gives you a lot of flexibility.
For baby number 5, I took 2 weeks off. Then I eased back into my workday. For baby number 6, she was due mid-December, so I just took the rest of the month off. Christmas time is a slower time, so I knew it wouldn’t have a tremendous impact on my clients.
2. Cover for you
Do you need someone to cover for you? Or do you work in a team and already have coverage? For one of my clients, I work in a team, so we cover each other when needed. It was easy to take maternity leave knowing someone was picking up the time-sensitive emails.
I interviewed another mom, who doesn’t work in a team, but she had a trusted friend cover for her. Someone she knew wouldn’t try to steal her clients.
Getting someone to cover for you will be unique to your working situation. There are several ways to do it: team member, fellow momtrepreneur, outsource to another freelancer that works directly for you, or it is completely unnecessary.
However, you decide to do it, plan ahead.
3. Communicate with clients
My number one rule as a freelancer is always work with good clients. There are too many good people to settle for a bad client.
A good client is going to be happy for the gift of a new baby, and they will be more than willing to work with you to figure out your maternity leave.
When you communicate with your client, present your plan, and ask if they have any suggestions or would like to do something differently.
This should all be presented understanding that babies are unpredictable and things could change. If you end up with an emergency C-section, you may need to take longer off because the healing time is longer.
The most important thing is to communicate as everything progresses. For baby number 5, I ended up getting induced early because of high blood pressure. That shifted things a bit at the last minute. For baby number 6, she was 4 days late. So that also changed things up.
4. Save for it
Paid vacation or paid maternity leave is one of the downsides of being a freelancer. For me, the trade-off of being the queen of my schedule is worth it. Also, working with fantastic clients. You have nine months to save for your maternity leave. Start putting money aside to cover your minimum budget while you are not working.
For example, if your family counts on your bringing in a minimum of $400 per week, and you are taking 3 weeks off for maternity leave. Then you need to save $1200 to cover it.
5. Enjoy it
As much as you can, enjoy your maternity leave. I know that is not always possible because adjusting to a new baby is difficult. If you have a high needs baby that can make enjoying maternity more difficult. Not to mention the sleep deprivation.
So as much as you can, enjoy this time off. It is not a time to start a new project or to work on your brilliant ideas. Get a notebook, write down all your ideas, and then save them for later.
Conclusion: Maternity Leave as a Mompreneur
It is important to take maternity, so you can heal and adjust to your new baby. Have you taken maternity leave as a mompreneur? Do you have any tips? Are you worried about taking maternity leave? Let me know in the comments below.
Now you just need the right baby gear to work from home.
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