How difficult will working with a newborn be?

[lostandconfused2]

I have no option but to work when I've had my baby in April, only a VERY small amount per week. I am a freelance writer and due to being off sick a lot through my pregnancy (I have a chronic illness and have had bad morning sickness) my maternity pay has gone down to about £250 a week, being 90% of my earnings on three days work a week. My rent alone is £950 and that's not covering bills and even with my partner's income it won't be enough to live on.

I have another job where I write three articles which take me around 25 minutes each to write, and I get £735 per week for that.

I cannot take the maternity and work at the same time I have been told by my other employer, so it's one or the other.

I have managed to save £1,500 so far for when baby is born so that I will have spare money for rent/bills etc. And I will have saved another £2,000 before he is born so I should have around 3 months rent ready to go. I'm trying to be as prepared as possible.

I guess my question is do you think this is doable? I know every newborn is different - but it's just a couple of hours each week, and it's pretty easy work, not too indepth or researchy - mainly personal and opion columns. It was an unplanned pregnancy as I was told I couldn't have children due to my chronic illness, just as a heads up to why I'm not super prepared.

Thank you!

So, 3 x 25 mins work a week for £735?
Sounds amazing and yes very doable.
It might be your need your partner to take over baby duties for that time do you can concentrate. Be prepared that the lack of sleep may increase how long it’ll take you.
Good luck!

I took very little maternity leave - I was working on my PhD, and so got straight back to work on it pretty much straight away. My baby napped well during the day (although night time was a different matter!) so it worked for me. However, I wasn't expected to be working (was "officially" on maternity leave) so had no deadlines. I think that would make a huge difference. If you get a baby that is happy to nap alone, then it might be doable indeed. I would, however, have a plan b prepared, just in case.

@11hairylegs I know, it's brilliant! It's an american company so the pay is great and they're super supportive so I'd really love to continue working with them. I'm totally prepared for that! Thank you :)

I managed to write half an academic book. I had HG during pregnancy which really knocked me out so I was running late with my deadline. I would pop DD on a pillow on my lap and type away on the computer while she slept and breastfed.

Short chunks of self-contained writing are probably doable although sleeplessness was a problem for me. Having said that, hopefully you'll be lucky and have a baby who sleeps reasonably well.

At 6mo DD became more demanding and it was more difficult to work as she was awake more and needed attention and interacting.

Do you have any plans for childcare after maternity leave?

It really depends on the baby IMO.

Also - you'll be exhausted because you'll have broken sleep for months, (if not years) after your baby is born, so you may find it very difficult to concentrate properly on writing coherent English.

Some babies sleep quite well between feeds and others aren't keen on being put down.

Can you get your partner to look after the baby while you do the writing? It's his baby too.

@Booboostwo wow, that's amazing! I'm thinking I can split up the 25 mins here and there, even if it's just doing 15 minutes and coming back to it later while he naps. Can't believe you wrote half a book!

Yes - I have my family 10 minutes away who are very happy to help and then my MIL too is also very keen to have him, she doesn't work so I think she'll be quite helpful. I'm also planning on getting paid childcare for when he's a bit older so I can do more work.

Sounds very manageable to me. Most newborns sleep for hours during the day so it could be done then. When they're a bit older (crawling) it might be trickier and you would probably need someone to watch the baby while you work

@TheMustressMhor Yes my partner can take care of him while I work! Sorry, I forgot to add that.

3 x 35 mins for £735 a week. Sounds very doable. You could always look for a mother’s help eg a teenager studying childcare at a local college and pay her say £10 3 times a week to sit and cuddle baby while you work.

Absolutely doable. It's so little time. Just get your partner to watch baby for an hour or so one evening while you do it.

Congratulations 😊

I guess it depends on how your baby is. My newborn never slept during the day and although bottle fed never took a full feed and basically snacked on his milk every hour. Then was up every 2-3 hours during the night. Also depends on how you are following the birth. I had pneumonia two weeks before my son was born so was on oxygen for a week so that and severe anaemia meant I was fucked physically and mentally. I personally would have struggled to focus and write.

I think VodkaFairy makes a very valid point.

You may have a rough time and be physically incapable for a while after the birth. Hopefully not, of course.

All things being equal I reckon you could do this.

It depends on the baby but if you are lucky enough to have a quiet and sleepy newborn it’s definitely doable. I did freelance writing and translation throughout my maternity leave, starting a week or so after leaving hospital and continuing right up until going back to my main job. The first few months are the easiest because they sleep so much (well, some of them do!). It gets trickier the older and more alert they get. Even then you can still fit in some work while they sleep. I just sat at the kitchen table with my baby asleep on my lap and typed away at my computer. It helps if you breastfeed because you have a handy way to get them to sleep without the fuss of making up bottles.

Anyway, good luck - you can do it!

Are you sure you can't take the maternity pay AND work freelance?

As a fellow freelance journalist, I am in awe of that gig! You’ll be able to do it no problem I think-I’ve managed to do bits of pieces around naps/trip to grandparents/husband’s day off etc

It is wholly dependent on a few uncontrollable factors op.

One of my DC it wouldn't have been possible.. csection complications Inc major infection where I needed post op outpatient care (I'll spare you the fairly distressing details). Double incontinence, now much better thankfully but it really messed me up mentally, made going out difficult for a few weeks. Baby delivered early with a few health concerns unexpectedly. Baby and me being kept in for a second week due to not gaining weight and my health issues. Then, even when we were "home" I was on extended midwife led care for 3 weeks. Baby health issues didn't resolve well for about 7 weeks, only getting close to "normality" around 5 months on. Add into that the broken sleep, I was in pain, mentally and physically just a shell of myself, and DH had to take a while off to step up.

Other DC would have been a piece of piss, some newborns just sleep/eat/take to things (e.g. nap on the go in a sling), if you're lucky enough to have no health problems yourself or the baby is fine, you're going to find 3x 25 min of work a lovely break for lots of £££! Just hand over to the dad and you're sorted.

But none of the fairly traumatic stuff that happened to me that time was particularly predicted, and I honestly have huge blank gaps of the first 6 weeks because I think I wasn't really "compis mentis" because of it all, I was totally unprepared

3 x 25 is nothing. Especially as you have a partner. If the baby turns out to be difficult and becomes a distraction then get into a routine of your partner popping out for an hour 3 times weekly, either to a short visit at a relatives or even a walk in the pram so you can get on with it

With the baby obviously 🙄😂

I revised for and took my second year university exams with a newborn. It's doable.

I’m sure I’ve read all this before? I’m super confused

My baby couldn’t be relied on not to need me for that long three times a week. Some babies are better, some are worse.

@HotPenguin unfortunately not. Not sure why but they absolutely won't allow it and I'd lose the maternity pay if I was to do so and get in a lot of trouble with them.

@TheDarkPassenger I posted about it a little while ago but had decided to take maternity, but now my pay has been decreased massively so I was just looking for more opinions now it's getting to the point where I absolutely have to make a decision.

@TrifenyMarlowe I'm so sorry you went through all that! That sounds awful! I hope you're doing better now.

put it that way, when you have 2 (or 3!) other children with a baby, you do find the time either way.

Why do you even ask when you have a partner anyway? Babies are not glued to their mother, their dad do just as well.

2 hours each week is nothing. You find plenty of overworked posters who find the time to post on MN..

I wouldn't plan to do too much, you will be tired, nappies, feeding, laundry can take a lot more time than you think, but you'll be fine.

Ahhh okay that eases my tiny mind, thought I was losing the plot