How to Prepare for a Career Before Your Baby Is Born

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Having a baby is a huge life change that is exciting, but can really affect your work life. You will need to think about everything from when to tell your boss to getting your finances in order (and covering the costs of your absence). Here are some tips to help you find a balance between pregnancy and work.

Know your rights

First, you need to know your rights as a working parent to prepare for the impact your child will have on your career. Find out what maternity leave your company (and your partner’s company) allows and what medical expenses related to pregnancy are covered by your health insurance. Think about how reliable your job will be, both during and after pregnancy.

Maria Young at Parents.com has a great list of resources you can use to verify your entitlement:

To ensure you get all the benefits in some of the areas above, use this docs checklist from BabyCenter.com :

  • FMLA Statement (s)
  • State Family Leave Application (s) if your state has its own family leave laws
  • Vacation request
  • Any forms your doctor will need to fill out
  • Your company’s family leave policy
  • Letters and emails (print them) to or from your manager, HR or others.
  • Notes you take during phone calls to your manager, HR, and others.

Cover yourself by keeping copies of all the forms you submit in a folder that you can easily access. No matter what employer you have, take responsibility and learn about your rights as a working parent.

Figure out when to tell your boss and coworkers

Before you start performing, or before your partner does, talk to your boss and then colleagues about how things will change during your maternity or paternity leave.

Meet with your boss and tell him about your pregnancy. Be prepared to talk about when your last day might be, how long you will be away, and who will take over your responsibilities while you are away. Submit an additional email with all of these details so your boss has a written resume to refer to later.

After you have alerted your boss and worked with him on the schedule, make the announcement to your colleagues. Be prepared to answer questions they may have when you leave, who will cover you, and when you return. If you answer these questions in advance and with confidence, the transition will go smoother.

Help others prepare for your job responsibilities

Treat your absence as an opportunity for teammates to develop their skills and gain experience that they might not otherwise have.

Julie Mosow of Harvard Business Review explains how to best prepare for others to temporarily cover your work:

Prepare a list of your core responsibilities, dividing them into tasks that others can take on and those that are not easily delegated, such as customer relationships, expertise, and mentoring direct reports. Start thinking about which of your employees, coworkers, and bosses might be best suited for each role, and consider hiring someone to cover your vacation if necessary.

If you work with any outside contacts, such as clients or partners, be sure to introduce them in advance to who will be managing the relationship while you are away. You want to go one page with everyone so the relationship can continue smoothly.

Prepare your finances

Babies are incredibly expensive, so it’s worth planning ahead (if you can!) And saving. Consider opening a special “child savings account”. This savings account should help cover the increased living expenses associated with having a child, as well as any decrease in income from maternity or paternity leave.

See if the hospital you plan to use offers all-inclusive maternity packages that combine delivery services at one rate. This can help you save money well ahead of the delivery date. If you don’t have package options, remember to review your medical bills afterward to withdraw any unused service charges. NerdWallet offers several examples of services that you may not use, but may still be charged for:

Some parents face high hospital bills for things they never or rarely used during childbirth. For example, a family in Texas was charged $ 1,650 for child services they never used during their stay. Other, more vague allegations like “maternity supplies” have also been spotted in the bills and can add to your total even if you don’t even know what you are billed for.

If you are looking to increase your income before going on vacation, consider taking on special projects at work rather than a second job . Pat Katepu in an interview with Forbes gives advice on how to do this:

Take on special projects that go beyond your normal job responsibilities – and require more work time. Women who do this must obtain written consent to use these extra hours to pay for maternity leave.

Finally, try to cut costs wherever possible. Increasing your income is great, but also try to spend most of your cash flow on saving.

Handling changes to your schedule

It can be challenging to be productive caring for a newborn , but keeping your schedule in order can really help. You will need to accommodate both medical changes and changes in your schedule.

Both before and after the baby is born, you will need to make time for additional doctor visits. Your body (or your partner’s) will undergo tremendous changes and you will need a lot more medical attention than before.

You will also need to adjust your schedule when you return to work. You may now have to pick up your child from kindergarten, visit the doctor, visit the family to see the newborn, adapt to any changes in the workplace after your absence, and much more.

Create a support system for yourself

Reach out to other working parents for support when you return to work in a completely new situation at home. As with pregnancy , this community of people can provide advice, tips, ideas and general support as they are going through (or have already gone through) the same thing. If you are friends with someone at work, ask them for help as well. Even if they don’t have children, they can offer you support at meetings, events and more.

Adapting to life with a newborn can be physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. Mayo Clinc has some great tips on how to balance your extended family and your career:

Returning to work after maternity leave can create emotional conflicts for mothers. Remember, there is no perfect mother. Working outside the home doesn’t make you a bad mother – and it’s okay to count on the hardships and social aspects of your job. No matter how you combine family and work, try to be present when you are with your child and when you are sitting at your desk.

Having a baby is fun, but it requires a lot of preparation. If you plan to be a working parent, there is a lot you can do to balance your career and family, but you need to prepare ahead of time for the job. These tips will help you make sure everything work-related is set up so you can focus on your new family member.

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