Hello! I'm 20 weeks pregnant and now that I'm half way through I'm starting to think of the what life will be like with work + a huge great big bump!
I'm a freelance illustrator and I'm a bit concerned about the practicalities of when I should take time off. I work part time in a shop which is great as I will be getting a small but helpful bit of maternity pay for a few months. Since I'm due in January I will be leaving my part time job in early december as it will be too busy for me at Christmas when I'm huge. What i'm confused about is when I should stop taking commissions for my illustration work? Most of my clients work to 1-2 week deadlines and I have been getting really busy with work over the last month or so. Firstly should I even tell them I'm pregnant? Most of my work is commissioned via email so I never actually meet clients so I wouldn't have to tell them. Also If I get work commissioned when it's getting close how should I turn it down? And when should I start turning work down; seeing as my work is fairly flexible and easy going I should be able to keep working quite close to my due date (with regular nap breaks :-) ) . My partner is a wedding photographer so he won't have much work at that time which means he will be home as well and financially I will have to accept work quite soon after the birth (I'm thinking a month or so) is this crazy and unrealistic?! Lots of questions!!