Running a business as a First-time fresh Mum

If you follow me on social media, you’re probably aware that I now have a tiny munchkin named Eleanor. She’s currently 5 months, and I went back to work when she was pretty much just 1 month old.

I’ve talked about the reason being that maternity leave as a freelancer is only £151 a week which gives you, well, not a lot. I’m lucky enough that I’m able to work from home at the moment. I hope to start going back to my studio in town at the end of the month, an hour here and there.

But what is it like to take care of a baby and a business at the same time for me? Well, firstly, let me clarify that since Covid started, my partner has been working from home, so it’s not like I’m on my own all day, and for my first shoot after having her, I was lucky he was here because it was a little crazy.

My first shoot was for Laconic, an existing client of mine, so I felt confident I could do things at my own pace, I also made sure to surround myself with people (models and MUA) I knew and had previously worked with who would understand if I needed to stop to nurse or change a nappy. Insight: dad did the nappy change as we were starting to run out of time. Did I underestimate the job+baby combo? pff, never…)

Lookbooks and lifestyle shots are so nice to do because it means I get to be working with other people in the room for a change! And I'm so glad I was able to do this project my way. If I had to work outside the flat with people I didn't know, well, I probably would have turned down the job. A perk of having a network of people you know, trust and like enough to be able to pop your boob out mid-shoot to nurse.

It was hectic, but we did a bloody good job if you ask me! The team was lush, as always. Now that I look back, it was definitely crazy to do that literally just once a month after giving birth, but hey, live and learn right!

But coming back to the whole being a new mum and working at the same time thing. It all goes back to one thing really, I'm not raising my child alone. Even though I am breastfeeding so I'm the only one able to feed her right now, I have someone doing their part, preparing the food, doing their share of parenting and adulting (you know, cleaning, tidying, laundry and all that). The first person to use the term "babysitting" when a man takes care of their kid gets a slap.

The following months after my first shoot, I only did product photography and styling work, which is way easier because once my set is built, I can go back and forth, spreading the work over several days if I have to. Which is very practical when your baby suddenly starts to wake up to nurse every hour of the night!

Let's be honest, the main reason this article is published 5 months after I actually went back to work is the reality of being a new parent and a freelance means priorities shift. Some stuff goes to the bottom of the list even more and for the first time in my life, I invested in a very good phone so I could do a lot of admin/writing/marketing content from it while I have a baby nursing or napping on me, because you know, one day she sleeps in 4h stretches and naps 1h40 uninterrupted in the afternoon, some days she wakes up every 2 hours at night and can only sleep doing contact naps…

One thing's for sure, solo parents are fricking heroes and my respect and admiration for them just keep growing every second of the day.