You are expecting a baby and job search For flexible work? Are you wondering how you are going to hustle for income when you are developing a whole new person? I’m here to tell you that it can be done. And there is no better place for a job seeker to turn when looking for jobs for pregnant women than online. You don’t have to worry about illegal pregnancy discrimination from a potential employer or even discuss maternity leave.
Dive into my guidelines and recommendations below as seriously as you read those baby books and you’ll be ready to be a home-based pregnancy worker in no time.
Finding the right job as a pregnant woman
Depending on which trimester you’re in, just finding a comfortable position to work can be frustrating. Whatever type of work you do, comfort is key – it allows you to focus on the task at hand.
Be creative with finding the best location to work. If sitting in a regular office chair doesn’t allow you to get close enough to your desk to work, try using an exercise ball. This allows you to sit down and helps strengthen your core, which is great for everyone but can also help prepare you for delivery. If you are trying to work from the couch, hug the pillow. Use pillows to support your lower back and elbows, and place your laptop on a TV tray or rolling table. You can even use a breastfeeding pillow (ie My breast friend) as temporary laptop support. (If you’re worried about laptop radiation, get a product Defenderpadwhich protects you from EMF radiation.)
Most comfortable on the couch but no laptop? Try hooking up your computer to your TV and It makes a big screen monitor. Then you can work from the couch with a wireless keyboard (if you get one with a trackpad, you don’t even have to worry about a wireless mouse).
Tools for success
Having the right equipment is helpful in making you comfortable and ensuring you can work efficiently and with minimal disruption – as I mentioned above in finding the right position. Here are some things that can help you settle into your remote work while pregnant:
- Right desk. If you want to invest in new furniture, get an adjustable-height desk or an air desk to make things easier.
- The right place to sit. Exercise balls are great, as mentioned above. Use one to fit under your desk, strengthen your abdominal and back muscles, and tilt your pelvis downward into a comfortable position.
- Make sure you have one Healthy selection of foods Once you’re within reach of sitting down to work, you only need to go to the bathroom.
- Hydration is key, so make sure you have one Large water bottle in hand.
- A partner. If your partner (or other family member) is home while you work, ask him or her to bring you snacks if you run out or to lend a hand if you need a reference book from the bookshelf. Bonus points if she refills your water bottle before you ask.
Online jobs for pregnant women
1. Author
Writing is an online job that gives you ultimate flexibility in your schedule. You don’t have to be on the clock until your shift ends. Instead, as a work-at-home mom, you can be a freelance writer wherever and whenever you want, as long as you make your deadlines. There are several ways to make money as a writer, including writing website content and social media posts. You can sell your services to a content-generation company (eg scripted), pitch and write articles for various publications (here’s my 101 on freelance writing), or even write your own book (whether you have a traditional publishing deal or plan to self-publish on Amazon Kindle).
2. Blogger
This is another job with fantastic flexibility. As a blogger, you also set your own deadlines. One of the best things about blogging is that you can choose anything you like and make it the focus of your blog post. (Note: some topics will be more likely to succeed and provide income than others, so do your research.) When you build your audience and mailing list, you can start monetizing your blog through affiliate marketing and advertising. See this post on how to start a blog.
3. Short-burst customer service
Customer service jobs are available for home workers, but you probably don’t want to be tied to your desk for multi-hour shifts as an expectant mother or after your bundle of joy arrives. Look for customer service gigs that schedule you in short blocks or include regular opportunities for breaks. Consider Liveops (which offer schedules in 30-minute blocks) or chat jobs eg Apples at home, which can be more lenient in letting you take breaks between chat sessions – long enough to go to the bathroom, anyway. Positions are available that require only a high school diploma or GED, a dedicated phone line and a reliable computer with an Internet connection. You’ll want a quiet space that’s free from too many distractions.
4. Transcript
If your house is quiet (ie, you don’t have other kids under your feet all day) and you can type quickly, transcription can be a great remote job for an expectant mom. Pay tends to be low at first, but this is a career that offers areas of specialization (such as medical and legal transcription) to increase your earnings. Check out my 23 transcription job postings for jobs where work-from-home starters are welcome.
5. Virtual assistants
This job is great because you can start it as your own independent business or work for an established VA company. It’s easy to do part-time, or take on as many clients as you can handle—giving you enough time to adjust to frequent bathroom breaks or pregnancy brains. Check out my post on how to become a virtual assistant.
6. Editor/Proofreader
Did you major in English in college? Bachelor’s degree in journalism? Are you that friend that everyone asks to proofread their resume? That could translate into a remote gig. As with writing, you can provide editing and proofreading services at your own pace as long as you meet your deadlines. This is another job you can do directly with your own clients as a freelancer, or you can be an independent contractor with a service. Scribendi. Learn more about these terms in my posts “How can I get an editing job from home?” and “Online Proofreading Jobs for Newbies.”
7. Social media moderators
These people help keep the internet a more civilized place, and it’s a work-from-home gig that shouldn’t be incompatible with the need for frequent breaks. You can work with such companies ModSquad, choose the projects you work on and set your own hours. Be aware though that work may be inconsistent. Learn more about becoming an online community manager or social media manager here.
8. Search Engine Evaluator
Like social media moderation, search engine evaluator jobs don’t demand large, uninterrupted hours of time anchoring you to your desk. You have the freedom to manage your time, as long as you meet the assigned work objectives. These positions are available intermittently, and contracts are not always renewed, so they can best be combined with other accepted gigs such as transcription and website testing.
9. Website Testing
There are several companies that will pay you to test websites, apps, and even UI (the user interface, meaning the look and mechanics of how you interact with a program). You can’t earn money here full-time, but you can earn $10 for 20 minutes of your time and it’s effortless. You simply complete a series of tasks on a website or app and record your thoughts by speaking while recording your screen or writing a short report when you’re done. Work is intermittent, and test availability depends on your population.
10. Teaching/teaching
Do you have something to teach? Whether you choose to teach English as a second language or have in-demand skills that you can turn into a paid online class, you can either create your own schedule or have semi-flexibility within a specific time frame. If you teach kids English through a service like Cambly, you need to be available while the kids are learning. But if you’re creating a Udemy course, for example, it’s up to you when to record your lessons and make them monetize you. You can tutor students in various subjects like math and science. Online tutors often have flexible work hours. Check out my post on Everything You Need to Know About Online Teaching Jobs.
Create passive income
To make passive income, you create materials or products that you can set up and then leave alone. They are going to earn you without your active participation.
If you’re able to, it’s great to build passive income early in your pregnancy because it will take some of the pressure off you when you’re near term and if you’re cutting it right into your third trimester. This will help provide for you when the baby arrives and you are sleep deprived. A job at home can be fulfilling and financially rewarding.
As an author, you can generate passive income by writing books – fiction and nonfiction – and putting them up for sale through your website or on a service like Amazon Kindle. As a blogger, you can create materials or courses for your readers to purchase based on your topic – so maybe you’re a mommy blogger and you write a short guide to working at home with kids. Or you’ve created a learning course that you’re selling through Skillshare – once you’ve created all the videos and lessons, you can earn a passive monetary reward. If you have a background in graphic design, you can create logos or other marketing materials through websites like Fiverr.
Need more ideas for building passive income streams? Here are 25 of them.
Feeling more confident about working from home during pregnancy? I hope you do. Comment if you have any questions or share your own experiences with pregnant workers while you work. Everyone needs a little help sometimes.
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