Becoming a mum while self employed

[Jivebunny89]

Hello, I'm 15 weeks pregnant. Due just before Christmas. I'm self-employed and am floating some ideas around as for "what to do" and would appreciate advice on them from people who have been there!

Context: husband works full time but has flexitime. I work from home as a graphic designer. Neither of us have mums available for childcare, but DH's sister lives very nearby and might be useful for some childcare (happy to pay her). I don't want to stop work for long, because I want to have a business to go back to.

Idea 1: DH and I take one month off work when baby is born.

Idea 2: Would like to claim Maternity Allowance, but very much irked by the 10-day KIT limit. How does JobCentre know if you've worked more than 10 days? I'm not advocating fraud… but at the same time feel hard done by by gov as MA is much less to live on than SMP. And would like to think that a Conservative government would be pro business. Bla bla bla… Would like to know how claiming MA has worked for other self-employed folks, please.

Idea 3: Hire a cleaner. More time for baby, more time for business.

Idea 4: Hire a business consultant to give me 1:1 support, to make sure that my business isn't going down the drain.

All advice is very much welcome! Thank you!

Congratulations! Although my business is entirely different (as I have an ecommerce business), I wrote a similar-ish post on Mumsnet (under a different username) when I was pregnant with my DD. I got some very good advice, which did help with my thought process....

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/freelancers/1140186-Running-own-business-and-having-a-baby-Advice-needed-from-other-business-owners

Regarding your ideas:

1 - I ended up hiring someone and working PT for quite a long time. Don't feel that you need to rush back to work FT. I've worked with a few graphic designers, and they do some light work in the evenings too (e.g. amends that don't need the hugest amount of brain power) so these can be fitted in around a little one, possibly?

1. I have a ltd co so could draw dividends too, so can't really comment on this, sorry.

1. Any support is good. I've had cleaners, gardeners, dog walkers... now don't have the cleaner and have a Roomba instead. Game changer!

1. Not sure if this might be unnecessary expense? Do you have regular clients? If you do, can you mainly service them?

@EssCee Thank you for your reply, that link, and the links from it were really useful. It's really got me thinking proactively about my concerns. Feeling much better for it.

I'm glad that you found a way for your business to work for you and your family. It's nice to see where you started with all your worries and where you are now. Yes, hoping to get in some amends/email answering when little one is off my hands!

Glad it was helpful!

I found it really useful to just research the various options... even if I didn't use them, I had an idea of what support was available and how much it cost.

xx

I'm due this weekend and have been trying to figure out all of this myself.

So far I reduced my hours in lieu of maternity with the plan to work from home (I had just acquired an office when I found out about LO, great planning).

I managed to find some one to work with me, and spent a few month increasing my client base to cover that and a bit for the Co.

I haven't taken MA because of the KIT days. II plan to have a holiday once LO makes an appearance of a couple of weeks and then work from home for a month before getting into a schedule come September.

Thankfully my SIL hires a nanny two days a week... so I am sharing with her (think that cost will still hurt quite a bit at first) and the cousins will spend time together. Which is lovely for them.

Nanny sharing in the end costs the same as some Nurseries, as we are literally paying half each. The bonus being she'll also take care if LO is poorly and I'm stuck, which a nursery wouldn't (and you still have to pay them).

I am really hoping to hire a cleaner again once I build my work up again post pregnancy. I know what an hour of my time is worth to the business - and an hour for a cleaner: it makes financial sense to work instead of clean at the end of the day.

My week will be annoyingly heavily scheduled thought, so if I or babe are ill, it'll go pete tong I imagine! Just trying to employ a degree of flexibility. What will be will be as they say.

If it doesn't work I'll adapt and adjust as appropriate.

All in all I'm quite nervous!

Best of luck to you. x

I've been self employed at home for 23 years now. I'm in the creative arts and a freelancer.

My eldest dc is 12 so my ideas may be out of date.

During my pregnancy my agent still took in new contracts for me (telling clients my situation obviously). I worked right up until I gave birth and I was 2 weeks overdue.
I had about 2 months off and then I tentatively started back doing the smaller parts of continuing contracts. My dh is a freelancer too and only took 2 weeks off. I worked during nap times and also in the evenings.

When my dd was about 9 months I found a local Childminder who had her 2 days a week. I found with these 2 days, evenings and weekends I managed to keep the career going and it has indeed flourished. It is utterly shattering though.

The advantages have been that I'm very flexible and am around for school pick-ups and school events. The downside is that I work my bloody arse off and have few 'off' weekends.

I think I took basic statutory MA for 6 months?

Oh and wanted to add that my DH does nearly all the housework.

Following with interest. I'm ttc after mc ad am self employed. In regards to your idea 2, I'm in agreement. You can't win can you, you take ma and have 9 months off and no business to return to. You return to work but they stop your ma.

Does anyone know if the penalty for taking over 10 KIT days is your weekly payment divided by 5, or divided by 7?

I phoned up the Job Centre Plus Maternity Allowance department and asked them how much I'd be penalised by for working more than 10 KIT days.

The Job Centre rep said that the MA would stop completely the day before I work my 11th KIT day, and not just be reduced.

I did ask "how can I take 39 weeks off my business, work 10 of 195 days and expect to have a business to return to?" but he said that he wasn't allowed to discuss the implications of this.

I'm really bothered that there is so much legislation trying to protect women who are regularly employed, ensuring that they have a role to return to, don't experience pay decreases or other unfair treatment at work… yet there's very little to protect self-employed women and their livelihoods. Thinking about this makes me regret getting pregnant.

By the way, the number for the Maternity Allowance line at JCP is 0345 608 8610

I don't understand why self employed women are treated so poorly when it comes to becoming a parent. Surely we want and need the same introduction to parenthood an employed woman needs. I often think about finding employment just to get better perks.

All very true.

Well, on the upside we get a degree of flexibility that comes with being SA.

Though not the support. I'm literally sat in bed waiting to drop being 40+4, surrounded by paper work getting things done. I've had to pay other people to help out the last month and the next two, didn't see the point in taking MA as I might as well reduce my income by paying out for help and keep my toe in and clients happy.

Sometimes it grates me when people stat saying about their months of maternity leave, but you know what? I'll be as board as sin. I think if you're self employed you're a certain type of person - an that will be reflecting in my parenting. Both DH and I are going to have a difficult time managing - but who doesn't? Both our parents were Self Emp too, and it obviously gave us a lot of time plus our work ethic and a home/work balance. Of course there will be things I miss out on. That makes me sad. But there are other benefits.

Or, that's what I've convinced my self.