Oh my, have a made an awful mistake??

[sushistar]

DS is 4.5 months. I am on Maternity allowance (£112 per week, and dh works full time. We are really strapped for cash and my allowance stops in July, so when a previous emplpoyer offered me some web-based work from home, hourly paid, I said I could do 10 hrs per week. They're fine with me doing the work in evenings or at weekends, I just have to go inb for the odd meeting.

I planned to do an hour in the day, more if poss, and an hour in the evening when dh can have ds. Today is day 2 of this plan, and ds WILL NOT GO TO SLEEP... suddenly he's decided he doesn't need an afternoon nap ever again...

Was I stupid to even think of being able to do 10 hrs per week?

Any advice? Anyone?

He's 4.5 mths - trust me, he ain't ready to give up his daytime sleep. He's just toying with you
Can you not fit in some extra tonight/over the weekend?

sushi I'd be surprised if he really doesn't need a nap ever again! Might be a blip, it's only the second day.

See DWP guidance for Maternity Allowance here, are you aware you can only do 10 days work either employed or self-employed while you are receiving it, and don't receive it at all for those days you do work?

Wont you have t pay your maternity allowance back if you are working while getting it?
I am on maternity allowance and my letter says I cant work till October or my payments will stop...

If thats all ok though, then 10 hours should be fine. You'll have some days (like today) where you'll get nothing done. Other days your DS will sleep for longer or you will get more done in the evening. You can always do 3 or 4 hours on a Sat to catch up...

Good luck

can you do the work in the evening?

4 month old babies are very unpredicatble - mine never napped at the same time each day

can you sling him, whilst you work as a temporary measure

working from home and small babies can be difficult - sorry to sound negative but i work from home 2 days per week, and DS is still in nursery for that time

is there anyway you can get some of the work done whilst he is awake? Will he play in his play gym happily for example?

I think 10 hours per week is do-able, but you might have to accept the fact that you are catching up with yourself over the weekend.

I suppose you need to reinforce DSs nap-times so you can guarantee the time to do the work.

It's maybe also seeming hard cos it's a new routine; it'll probably get easier once you and he have adjusted to it.

can you feed him to sleep and work with him on your lap?

I did a lot of mning like this in the early days

yes, i can work for 10 days for an employer i have previously worked for, right?

OH goodness, I've just checked that link and it says even if i do 1/2 hour that counts as a kit day? oh no! I thought they'd count those days as 7 hrs, even if i did them over some time!! aaargh! Will they know i'm doing 10 hours over the whole week not 10 hrs in one day?

Maybe i should tell them i can't do it :0(

no, i can't really work while he's awake he wants constant attention. i can mumsnet (like now) co it doesn't matterif i type badly and slowly...

he's only tiny, maybe it's too soon

Anyone - how will they know if i work 10 hours in one day or 10 hours over the week?

Hi sushi
I work freelance, and went back after my six months maternity leave, I had to go to clients for meeting etc., but did most from my studio at home. It is really hard and I work mainly at night as DS is now grown out of naps. I would not set yourself too high a target this early on. At six months I was doing two half days plus bits in evenings- but because DH looked after our son two mornings a week. Do you have any family who could come to mind your son for a few hours a week? Mumsnet whilst baby minding is one thing, graphics or web development is another.

No help on the allowance rules, sorry - but if it it contracted and paid as days and not hours I don't see how they could tell, personally.

Take a deep breath. Try to relax. It will get done - even if DH has to hold the fort for a bit longer while you 'catch up' as it were.

I would perhaps declare one day total hours. My contracts used to give daily rates but I rarely did all in one day, so perhaps just make sure your contract is set correctly. I would make sure it is worth your while before you get too committed.

IIRC, I am paid in hours per month - so I guess maybe it would be ok? But if they decide it was wrong and want us to be able to pay it back we'd never be able to. Oh god, I'm crying now!

I really don't know what to do. Ds has just started crying again

oh no what shall i do? i think i have to tell them i can't work untill my ma ends but they might not offer me any work then

i don't really have any control over my contract - it's a standard zero-hours contract from my employer (a university) so i don't know how it's worded.. i will check bit i don't know if i'll be any clearer tbh.

Oh sweetie don't cry! Just take care of your baby.
If you don't get anything done one day, don't worry, you will have better days to catch up.

You will find the best times to get things done as you go on. It's really hard getting abck to work, but in time you might enjoy it.

Just declare one day's work, that is effectively what you are doing.

Head up, young person, you can do this!

Pinky, do you think that will be ok? I'm really scared that it's wrong and if they find out it will be awful. I feel guilty about trying to work when ds is so small but I also feel guilty for NOT working and dh having to, and for claiming benefits (1st time i've ever claimed!)

Ohh, head is going round in circles!! (still crying )

If they want you to work now, I'm sure they'll want you to work in a month or so time, too. Perhaps set yourself, say one month as a trial and see how you go on?

Thing is, the project i'm working on is really behind schedule, all-hands-on-deck, so it's pretty inconvenient for them if I tell them I can't work. I don't bwant to mess them around.

But I guess really there's no reason for me to be working right now - or at least, I could tell them I'm struggling to do 10 hrs and can I do 5 for now? Then they can find more people to help on the project. Oh god, I just want to do the right thing by EVERYONE - employers, dh, ds, the job centre - it's so COMPLICATED!!!

You are not claiming benefits, you are entitled to MA because you pay NI! Do you invoice? If so, invoice as days, I can't see how anyone will know.

No I don't that's the problem. I have a contract of employment, which is the same as usual staff but is 'zero-hours'. I fill in a time sheet. I could fill this in so that it shows I've done all my hours on 2 days, my emplyer might not query it actually - that would give me 5 weeks work withought going over the 10 days I'm allowed.

I think starting at five hours seems much kinder to yourself.
Aside from the fact that you are probably doing the most important job of your life- looking after your baby- don't get me started on being a mum not being a job! The job centre is most likely not going to care about someone doing such a small amount of work each month.

Put work aside for today,calm yourrself down, enjoy your baby when your DH gets home, sit down and try to work out a doable childminding timetable between you, and see how many hours it realistically works out at each week, and do that.
x