Maternity Leave When You're a Freelance Worker or Business Owner

First things first, don't freak out! It can be scary to know that not working equals no income, but relax. There are ways that you can afford some leave and still be provided for. Here are some tips for setting yourself up to have a decent amount of maternity leave.

1. Calculate what you have. If you haven't been closely watching your budget, then it's more than a great time to start. You’re probably already putting away money for your taxes, so you might as well begin putting a little extra away too (also, remember that your taxes will be a little less since you’ll be listing a dependent). Realistically assessing how much you make a year and anticipating slow periods is essential. Then look at your expenditures. Where can you re-allocate funds into savings? Do you have a subscription to a paid service that you never use? Are you paying a lot in interest on a credit card? Consider canceling subscriptions, finding lower interest rates, and maybe skipping the latte every morning at Starbucks.

2. Calculate what you will need. Assess how much money you need to live on for as many months as you would like to take leave for. The first three months don’t have to be expensive. If you’re breastfeeding, the only new expenses will be diapers, health insurance for baby, and a decent stockpile of clothing. You will probably overestimate how much you need, because things like going out to dinner, trips to the salon and other luxuries will just naturally fall to the wayside. Equipment costs before you take leave are where the highest expenses will be. You’ll want a stroller and/or a baby carrier, a crib or bassinet, car seat and any other equipment you want to have for your baby. Hopefully, friends and family will help out with these things, but don’t underestimate the value of used items (except in the case of the car seat). Equipment can cost anywhere from $2,000-$6,000 for the first year.

3. Contact your customers. Make sure you let your customers know well ahead of time what your plans are. Providing exact times and dates will reassure them of your commitment to their needs. Touch on the projects you may have in the works with them and make a game plan that assures that everything gets finished in a timely manner. Also, leave a note of your future or present absence on your voicemail, email auto-reply and website with the date of your return.

4. Hire someone. For those jobs that you know you won’t be able to finish in time, hire another person in your field to complete them. Make sure it’s someone you trust and that their quality of work is at least as good as yours. In some cases, you can train another person and make a small stipend on the other person’s work in exchange for the use of your established business. If you’re nervous about leaving someone responsible for your jobs, then you might consider signing a Restraint of Trade agreement with the person. Don’t be surprised if a customer decides to solely use the new person going forward. A clause can be added to your contract so that you receive a small fee should the customer decide they prefer your replacement.

5. Work it. You’ve got less than 9 months to get your house in order, so don’t drop the ball. Stay motivated by keeping your eye on the prize. The more you can get done before the baby is born, the more freedom and flexibility you will have during your time off.

6. Don’t disappear. When you do go on leave, don’t just leave all your emails unchecked for three months. Seriously, you will regret it the moment you do check it. Stay current and respond to the most important inquiries. Contact your customers weeks before you plan to work again and give them a solid date of availability. Let them know that you’re enthusiastic to help out with anything they might throw your way when the time comes.

7. Lastly, enjoy it! You’ve got the flexibility that many people don’t, so enjoy what you have. It may seem like you never get a break, but you really are setting your own breaks. Be thankful for the opportunities you do have working from home or owning your own business.

How are you preparing for maternity leave?

Maternity leave for freelancers? [BizCommunity]

Baby Costs [Pregnancy Weekly]

Restraint of Trade Law & Legal Definition [USLegal]

Why One Mother is Advocating for Blood Oxygen Testing in Newborns

Jessica Hatcher has a message that she wants every mom to hear: make sure your baby receives a pulse oximetry measurement before he leaves the hospital. The test is not invasive - it requires putting a simple device over the baby's foot for about 3-5 minutes while light and a sensor detect oxygen levels in the blood. The test can detect even the most minor of heart defects, which might not normally be found but could be life-threatening. Early detection is the key to better treatment.

Jessica knows how devastating it can be to learn your child has a heart defect, because her son Wyatt was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome in the womb. The doctors offered her limited choices: she could let Wyatt live as long as possible, which might’ve only been a couple days; they could perform surgeries immediately after birth and look for a heart transplant once he was a teenager; or he could receive an immediate heart transplant. She and her husband opted for the surgeries, but Wyatt’s condition worsened and he needed a donor to live. The family waited for about six months before a donor became available and Wyatt was given a new heart before he reached the age of 2. The donor heart is expected to last about 13 years.

As a result of her experience, Jessica is hoping to give back. The mother of three is a mentor to families facing similar heart problems. She is also co-chair of Heart Friends, a group that raises funds for Sibley Heart Center in Georgia.

For more information about the most common birth defect and its detection visit 1in100.org.

Newton mother advocates blood oxygen testing for babies [Rockdale Citizen]

Screening [1in100]

Friday Wrap-up: Parenting and Pregnancy News

5 Unique Ways to Save Baby's First Lock of Hair [LilSugar]

Mike Huckabee Attacks Natalie Portman For "Glamorizing" Single Motherhood [Jezebel]

E. coli found on 50 percent of shopping carts [MSNBC]

Some Painkillers Linked to Heightened Risk of Birth Defects [Fox News]

Elizabeth Banks is expecting a baby via surrogate [Celebitchy]

Topical Steroids Found to Double Fetal Growth-Retardation Risk [Internal Medicine News]

Baby born stillborn, amazes doctors by coming back to life after 25 minutes [Daily Mail]

Research Uncovers Clue to SIDS [Health Day]

Migraine drug ups risk for oral birth defects [Reuters]

NY City Council Favors Pregnancy Center Disclosures [NYTimes]

Depression After Miscarriage Can Linger [WebMD]

Mom and Dad Kid Themselves Over the Joy of Parenting [LiveScience]

The Stigma of Single Mothers

Being a single parent is one of the toughest jobs on the planet and yet, many children with single parents become successful and well-adjusted. The President of the United States, Lance Armstrong, and Eleanor Roosevelt were all raised by single parents. So why, when Americans took part in a large poll were they so intolerant of single mothers?

According to the Pew Research poll of nearly 3,000 Americans, 70% said single mothers are “bad for society,” ranking them below interracial and gay parents. The results have many pundits surprised and confused.

Rich Moran, Senior Editor of the Pew Research Center puts forth a few reasons for these results on NPR news: “…people who study family dynamics have some answers. The big one is that people know single mothers. And they read about single motherhood, and they see the consequences of it…Then they look at things like gay couples, and they see children being raised by loving parents, financially secure. When they look at the outcomes of single motherhood, you know, they see increase in drop-out rate, increase in poverty and an increase in children who go - who have their first child before 20 without being married.”

One caller on the same NPR show said: “I took that Pew poll, and I answered that single moms were bad for society. My reason was that I know how hard it is to be the sole economic and nurturing support and that our society does so little help.”

Are you a single parent? Do people treat you differently than other parents?

For single mothers, stigma difficult to shake [NPR]

Would you eat your placenta?

The practice of consuming placenta after giving birth is not new, in fact it’s been followed for hundreds of years in Traditional Chinese medicine, but its popularity is increasing among some mothers in Western countries. No studies have confirmed the usefulness of the practice, called placentophagy, and many medical professionals scoff at the idea. Still, some mothers swear by the positive effects on their healing time and depression.

The idea behind eating the placenta is to replace some of the hormones that are suddenly depleted after giving birth, a drop that some people believe is the root of the baby blues. Proponents of the practice are quick to point out that all mammals in the animal kingdom eat their placenta. However, animal researchers believe that consuming the placenta helps animals to relieve pain and avoid leaving a scent for predators. Nevertheless, one study of rats found that eating their own placenta caused their bodies to increase production of prolactin, the hormone responsible for lactation.

Human placenta is usually dried, ground, put into capsules and taken like a vitamin; although some women actually cook with it, mix it into smoothies or even eat it raw. This unique method of preparation has been making the rounds on message boards, attributed to midwife Janneli Miller:

“After the placenta is prepared it is taken in capsule form, 2 capsules at a time, with white wine. The wine is said to help disperse the energy of the placenta throughout the body. Women can take this dose up to three times a day... Remaining placenta can be saved and used homeopathically for those times when the child undergoes a separation from the mother…To cook, wash excess blood from the placenta. Place it in a steamer over water. Place with it fresh ginger slices, half a lemon and a hot pepper…. After steaming, slice the placenta in 1/8" strips…Place the strips on a cookie sheet and place it in an oven on the lowest possible setting for several hours until completely brittle-dry…Powder the strips in a coffee grinder, and encapsulate.”

Midwives and birth centers sometimes preserve or even process the placenta for the mother, but some hospitals won’t even release the organ, deeming it medical waste. It’s interesting to note that a study released in 2009 found that stem cells in the placental tissue are identical in nature to umbilical cord blood stem cells, which has led to a new industry of placenta banking.

Would you eat your placenta?

Would you eat your own placenta? [Colorado Connection]

Ingesting the placenta: Is it healthy for new moms [USA Today]

Eating your placenta to prevent PPD [Mothering Forums]

Placenta: New source for harvesting stem cells [Science Daily]

Effects of placentophagy on serum prolactin and progesterone concentrations in rats after parturition or superovulation [Reproduction-Online] 

Best of the Web: Parenting and Pregnancy Links

Couple speaks about viral video [KSDK]

Smoking Early in Pregnancy Raises Risk of Heart Defects in Infants [HealthNewsDigest]

New Device to Prevent Hemorrhoids during Vaginal Birth [medGadget]

Princess Mary of Denmark Releases Photos of Twins [Sky News]

Toddler Wanders into Bank Vault [11 Alive]

Trendy Tummy Maternity Announces 7 Outfits in 7 Days Giveaway [Trendy Tummy Maternity]

Fetus to "Testify" In Support Of Ohio Heartbeat Bill [Jezebel]

Tom Hanks Parodies Toddlers and Tiaras [YouTube]

High sugar diet in pregnancy affects girls more than boys [the medguru]

X-Rays and Unshielded Infants [NYTimes]

Babies Need More 'Tummy Time'

Some experts are calling babies who spend too much time in car seats and not enough time on their tummy "bucket babies." Medical professionals are blaming a lack of 'tummy time' for a substantial increase in developmental delays among children across the United States.

Babies who don't spend enough time on their bellies tend to experience a reduction in fine and gross motor skills, and even sensory development. Building up strength in the upper body early in life contributes to skills such as writing, using tools and climbing. The exercise helps babies to develop neck muscles, which are necessary for the most basic functions such as speaking, eating, and even visual focus. Without tummy time, babies are more likely to skip the crawling stage altogether, which experts once thought was a benign milestone to miss; however, they are now discovering that crawling contributes to core strength throughout life, an essential component for athletics and even good handwriting.

The reason that babies aren’t getting the necessary developmental practice is two-pronged. For one, the “Back to Sleep” campaign that was launched in an effort to reduce the number of babies dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), led many parents to hesitate to put their babies on their bellies. The other is attributed to modern devices such as swings, bouncy seats and other popular devices that encourage babies to sit or lie on their backs. While these devices are largely used by parents, caregivers and daycares to keep babies safe they limit movement and exposure to the environment around them, delaying development of the senses.

You can start putting your baby on his or her belly as soon as you get home from the hospital. Playing and engaging with your baby 2-3 times a day for short periods is enough to start developing the right muscles. In the beginning, putting the baby on your chest might be more fun because the baby can see you without lifting the head very high. As your child grows accustomed to the practice, you can increase the duration. Try using mirrors and toys to spice it up.

Is your baby getting enough tummy time?

Tummy Time [BabyWeekly]

Experts: Lack of ‘tummy time’ causes development delays in children [KY3]

Recent Advancement of Cord Blood Stem Cell Research

For many people, if not most, one of the biggest reasons for banking their baby's cord blood is for the sheer treatment possibilities, and the past 12 months have been a landmark time for research into the possible uses of cord blood.

In early 2010, an FDA-regulated trial began at the Georgia Health Sciences University to determine the possibility of improving quality of life in children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Some of the parents with children taking part in studies such as this have publically shared their amazement at the positive results. The study is on-going, recruiting children ages 1-12 who have their cord blood banked with Cord Blood Registry.

 

In January of this year another FDA-regulated trial began at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to study the use of cord blood stem cells to treat traumatic brain injuries in children. The study is the first of its kind, using stem cells to hopefully provide a better quality of life for those suffering from this condition. Children ages 18 months- 17 years old, who have their cord blood banked with Cord Blood Registry could be eligible to take part.

For inquiries about possible entry into the trials, contact CBR. You can also learn more about research involving the use of cord blood to treat various conditions at the Center for Regenerative Medicine.

Advancing Cord Blood Stem Cell Research – One Clinical Trial at a Time [The Stem Cell Source]