Self employed & pregnant

[Penguin34]

Hi ladies
Anyone self employed and pregnant?
How did you manage?
I'm a beautician with my own salon and I'm always fully booked back to back, this time of year only about 2/3 weeks in advance but in the summer it's 4/6 weeks fully booked in advance.
Just had some letters with 3 appointments, so I've got to cancel those clients and all I can offer them is an apt 3 weeks away - and imagine they'd be happy!
I guess you have to have lots of midwife apt's, how far in advance can you book them?
Also, I can only have 3 months off when the baby comes and that makes me so sad :(

I’m self employed as well. It’s been fine so far; I had a scan appointment booked on a day that there was something in my diary but I was able to juggle it. If there’s a booking you really can’t miss, my midwife said that they can normally get you a new appointment. It’s not that many appointments anyway, and it’s not like they keep you all day - you can work around the appointment.

The only taking three months off is rubbish, I agree. I’m lucky that DH is employed and can take six more months after me on SPL. Would that be an option for you, perhaps?

Otherwise, it’s quite nice being self employed whilst pregnant - if I’m feeling tired I can work at home, for example. And I think it will be helpful to be able to be flexible when the baby arrives.

I'm self-employed too, I'm work a few hours each day for a charity & I'm a personal trainer. My plan is to save hard and then take 3-4 months off and ease my way back in, almost working part time for a couple of months then get back into it properly around 6 months after the baby arrives.