When do you tell clients you are expecting?

[pictam]

Wondering if anyone has any advice on when to tell a client you are pregnant.. I am a freelance picture researcher, working from home - I think as a self employed person I don't have to tell my current client by any particular time but wondered as I don't have a contract with them when it would be best as I have work ahead for a few months from them and am 12 wks pregnant at the mo. I want to keep them on side as I would like more work from them after I've had the baby. Any thoughts please?!

do you have to tell them at all if you're freelance and working from home? are they ever going to see you and are you planning to take time off that would mean you'd be letting them down with work load?

i had my first DC and some of my clients didn't even know about it. But I worked up til the day of birth and returned to my desk (albeit for only an hour or two per day) 3 days after giving birth and just sort of had a few weeks where things were quieter.

I am 18 weeks pregnant and told my client at around 14 weeks. The only reason for telling them this early was that I had been offered other work in the autumn and wasn't sure how long this client needed me for.

We'd started off on an informal "let's see how it goes for the first few weeks and then arrange something more permanent" basis so I needed to know to store up as much money as possible before I'm due.

I'm working on a project which handily finishes a few weeks before I'm due which is handy!

I'd tell them perhaps in another month or so and reassert that you're very keen to work for them for as long as possible and that you will be available until x date and then available again from x date (even if you later have to change the dates). Then it becomes more business like..

I didn't want to tell my client too soon as I didn't want them to think "let's just get someone else then, that's ages away". But like you I didn't want to tell them too late and leave them in the lurch! About 14-18 weeks seems fair to me?

I wouldn't tell them anything at this point! There is no need. I worked quite late with mine because I'm just working at home in my office and being pg didn't affect that. I told them nearer the time that I wouldn't be available to work on projects between certain dates. My projects are all short though - last a few weeks - so it wasn't such a big issue.

I don't think you need to say anything yet though!

Thanks so much for all your advice, it's good to know what you all did, makes it easier knowing I don't have to say anything just yet!

They rarely see me in the flesh so I should be able to get away with it for a while longer!