Work from home

I do the kind of computer work that can be done from home. I could carry on working from home after the baby is born. I just am worried about how I would juggle things. I see a lot of my friends who are stay-at-home moms and they seem to be fully employed caring for the baby. Is this an idealistic dream that I could do both? I don’t want to end up with a discontented baby and a dissatisfied client!

You are right in anticipating that this kind of arrangement will be hard work. You will need to be organised and disciplined in order to do it. But since you have the possibility of the best of both worlds, it is definitely worth giving it a try.

There are many possible ways that you could juggle the situation. Of course, if you have an easygoing baby who sleeps well in the day and sleeps enough at night for you to be fairly functional, then you may be able to achieve a few hours’ work while baby sleeps. However this does mean you won’t have that time available to do other chores, so domestic help may be an important ingredient in making this recipe work. A helper who can also be a nanny will be even more helpful if your baby is needy and doesn’t sleep well. Then you will be able to get work done while baby is awake, but being entertained by the nanny.

Consider starting out slowly. If possible, wait until your baby is a few months old and you have some confidence in your mothering skills and some knowledge of your baby and how to keep him happy. Try and find a project which is not too difficult or too big, to cut your teeth on. While you are completing this task you could try out various options to see which one works best for you. In this way, you can figure out exactly what you need to create a functional working space but still have a contented baby. It may work best for you to have set working hours every day, and have a plan for the baby to be cared for during those hours. Or you may find a friend who would care for your baby on alternate days while you work. Perhaps you could have her baby on the other days so that she could also do some kind of work. The options are pretty much limitless and it is really up to you to set the parameters that work for you. Enjoy!