Working from home after pregnancy

[shell96]

Hi,

I'm currently looking at different options of working from for when i finish maternity leave rather than returning to work. My baby isn't due until April so i may be a overly organised about this but i suspect i'm going to find it hard to leave the baby and come back to my office job after maternity leave.

Some ideas i am looking at so far is becoming a childminder or setting up a home business as a virtual office assistant. I'm looking to try and replace (as much as poss anyway) my full time wage so something like avon, etc is probably not suitable.

Anyone got any experience/ideas/suggestions? Thanks

Sorry - that first line should say i'm looking at options for working from home! Cant figure out how to edit my post.

Are you not planning to use childcare at all?

To be honest working from home without any form of childcare is going to be difficult. I work from home but DD is in nursery 5 mornings a week and DS in 2 and I just about get everything done. He will be going more when he is slightly older and we get busier.

hi, i was lucky as after my bubba was born i could continue with the same job from home. thought my dreams had come true!! however working from home isnt all its cracked upto be, i find it very difficult to get a certain amount of hours in, there are always distractions at home, e.g washing , housework etc etc. before whatever jobs i had to be done had to wait until i returned from work, now i cant seem to settle to work unless i have done everything. hence i have to be very infront with housework, washing, ironing etc. also friends and family, ringing and or calling round. they dont seem to realise that working from home is a "real Job" and think u can just do it as and when u please. just afew things to think off as i got a boit of a shock at actually how diffiult it is to "work from home " if i can be anymore help, let me know

Thanks for all replies. Looks like childminding might be my best option then as i could then provide my own child care at the same time. this would also be easy to set up with more guarunteed work but would be a pay drop from what i'm on now, although i suppose expecting to get the same wage from home is probably unrealistic. A lot will depend on my OHs work at the time and our money situation but just thinking ahead a bit.

Cheers

Childminding sounds like the thing - but be sure you like children to do it! I have a friend who had twins and became a childminder so that she could kill two birds with one stone as it were - it has done the job but she is now DESPERATE to do something else. It can take a while to get established, never mind qualified, so I would contact someone now to start the ball rolling.

Good luck - I am in my 4th week of mat leave and no sign of lo, just LOVING not being at work but alas will have to return! Go for it if you can!

Hi,
My 3rd child is on the way and i'm wrecking my brain trying to think off a reasonably paid job I can do from home too. I thought about childminding but I think we'd need to really make lots of changes to the house first, also the responsibility kind of makes me nervous. I've looked into barefoot Books which sounds great but not as a main source of income. Childcare costs in the UK are outrageous. I get so cross when I read these reports slating modern/working parents when most of us have no choice with mortgages and council tax etc. There are no incentives in the UK for people on average salaries to have more children and continue to work part time grrrrr!