I learned I could do my job and not feel ashamed of having a baby

As a freelancer, I struggled to separate my work from my duties as a parent – until I realised that the two could exist side by side Was it ethical, I wondered, to put my son down for a nap just so I could make a phone call? Could I hold a voice recorder in one hand, phone in the other and push my child in a swing with my foot while I did a work interview in the middle of a playground? Could I shut my baby in the garden, behind some double glazing, to play with the fox poo while I sat at my computer and had a conversation on speakerphone? As a freelance writer, I was lucky enough to have a choice when it came to maternity leave: live on £140.98 for 39 weeks and risk losing my career, or simply work when the baby slept. For the first year, I chose the latter; on one particularly remarkable occasion managing to submit a tax return while rocking a Moses basket. Continue reading...