Morning Sickness and Running a Business

Posted on Oct 5, 2011 | Blog Posts Category | | Print This Article

photo credit: USDAgov

Being self-employed means working odd hours. Sure, you have some flexibility to be able to work when you’re able, but it can also mean fitting 60 hours in a week instead of 40. When you become pregnant, you’ve got all sorts of new interruptions to deal with. One of the most significant can be morning sickness.

If you’re a small business owner, there are several ways you need to look at pregnancy and morning sickness:

• Prior to pregnancy. At this stage, you need to try to see what you can do to build up some cash reserves. You’re going to likely need some extra capital to keep the doors open and your business running smoothly. At the very least, you want to make sure that your business can handle a slight drop in revenue while you work your way through pregnancy. You’ll also want to use this time to make sure you’ve got whatever health insurance option in place you can, whether that’s private insurance, a spouse’s insurance, a group plan, or something else.
• During pregnancy. The first trimester and the third trimester are going to be the worst in terms of how you feel. You’re likely to see a drop in energy and pregnancy during those times, and have more aches and pains. Certainly, morning sickness is a big concern during that first trimester.
• Immediately following pregnancy. You need to take maternity leave for at least a few weeks or perhaps a few months. You’re not going to be able to work much, if at all, in yoru business during that time. There are options here – such as qualifying for unemployment benefits or short term disability insurance – but you’ll want to check with the rules in your state as well as your insurance policies to see if anything like that applies.
• Getting back to business. After pregnancy, it’s going to take some time to get back into the swing of things. Sure, the pressure will be on to perform, but remember what’s most important in life. Don’t neglect your health or your baby just to return to work.

So, what about you? Are you self-employed? How has pregnancy affected your business?

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