Running a Blogging Business While 9 Months Pregnant: A Day in My Life

Juggling business and pregnancy is an interesting journey, and although I haven’t experienced the challenging part yet (maybe postpartum?), I decided to share a bit about my workdays these weeks.

That’s the first post of this kind I’m sharing on Blogging with Lidiya.

So far, it’s been mostly guides for new bloggers, and I have some tutorials (on WordPress and Flodesk) prepared. I’ll also be talking a lot about blog sponsorships in the Make Money Blogging Category.

But as many moms or moms-to-be will see this content, it makes sense to share about balancing things out and how everything feels. 

So here we go.

Third Trimester Update

I just entered  the 36th week of my pregnancy (which means I’m entering the 9th month) and I’m feeling good.

I’m physically fit, even though sleep is uncomfortable and not every move is easy to make. But I’ve heard a million birth and pregnancy stories, and am grateful for how my journey looks like.

Of course, the big picture is overwhelming, not everything is fully ready for baby’s arrival (and it might feel like it never will be), I have mixed feelings about labor, I worry how parenting will affect my relationship with my partner, and postpartum can go in many directions…

But I also try to take it one day at a time.

Business, Birth & Postpartum

I’m grateful to have my business in times like that.

Most other new moms or pregnant women I’ve met recently (from mom groups and a birth course I did) are exhausted from working till the 8th or even 9th month of their pregnancy, or don’t feel good about going back to work 3 months after giving birth and leaving their baby at daycare. That’s how it goes in the Netherlands, where I live.

My situation is different, though.

Even though it’s not easy to have a small business in an economy designed for employees with good salaries, the freedom is undeniable.

When you are not part of the system, you can work whenever you want, and take a break for as long as you want.

I will probably work till the week I give birth, and after that, well, let’s see.

I might feel inspired to open my laptop days after that, or I might not get anything big done for weeks.

My partner will stay home with me for 5 weeks with baby, and we will share tasks equally, so that’s nice.

In my mind, I’m imagining how I do go for an hour in my home office every now and then and actually focus on my business. it’s my passion and hobby and therapy, and it’s a nice way to keep this part of myself alive regardless of the massive changes happening in my life.

It can also give me a sense of purpose beyond motherhood, it can keep me in my creative energy and just give me a way to switch off for a bit and do something for myself.

I like that and think it’s a blessing.

This is just my idea, of course, and an ideal scenario. Let’s see how things go.

Postpartum can be harder and longer. Some women struggle with getting back to themselves for a whole year. I don’t want to ignore the possibility of this, but I am open to a more positive outcome.

So, how does a workday in my life look right now?

A Day in My Life: Third Trimester Edition

It’s Monday as I’m writing this, I woke up at 9 (which is actually early for this night owl), I made tea and came to my home office.

There’s no specific plan and there are other things to get done later (related to preparing for baby), but for now, I felt like doing some work and starting the week strong.

I have a to-do list for today and for the week and it’s nice if these things get done, but it’s also not a must. That’s how I’ve structured my business.

Writing this post now, for example, felt amazing, so I follow this nudge and get it done in one sitting.

I will then publish it.

I’ll also publish a new interview on Let’s Reach Success, and prepare the newsletter for tomorrow. It will include these 2 new pieces of content as well as some other updates.

I prepared 2-3 posts on TikTok and saved them as drafts, simply because I had some ideas now and didn’t want to forget them.

Next, I’ll get to my inbox and answer emails. I prioritize those from sponsors and might move onto publishing sponsored content or links if payments have been made for these orders.

There are also plenty of email marketing tasks waiting for me, but that’s not urgent. They are mostly related to updating freebies and sequences and making them better and more strategic.

I’m also thinking about the big picture these weeks and how I want to build more authority in the blogging niche with one specific thing – teaching about sponsored blogging.

I already do that, but I want it to become my signature theme, what I’m known for. It’s very niche and from all the things I’ve done online, it’s the one thing I have the most success with so to say. It’s what’s been earning me a full-time income for many, many years, after all.

I have a course about it (the Blog Sponsorship Boss) and a nice freebie you can grab:

But to really position myself as the expert, there’s more to do. I can keep creating content on sponsored blogging and introduce the concept to new bloggers.

After helping them start a blog with my freebies and content, I can share about this way to monetize and lead them to the next step.

I just released a PDF guide that contains a list of sponsored networks and guest posting agencies (it’s included in the Blog Sponsorship Boss too), so that’s a great low-priced offer that comes between the freebie and the paid course.

I also have ideas for other paid offers related to this and ways to update my freebies so they can naturally lead to sponsorships.

But ultimately, it would be nice if 60-70% of my content (on the blog, socials and anywhere else) is focused on sponsored blogging. This is how you build authority.

So I’m getting some tasks done related to this transition these weeks and I’m quite excited about it.

I used it as an example as it’s a big picture to-do list item, and it takes as long as it takes to put into action. There are many moving pieces, and from then on, it’s about consistency and sticking to this main theme in my business.

Final words

Overall, I’m feeling good about my business. And while I prepare a lot for birth and for baby’s arrival, it’s good to have something else you can always turn to, something that’s yours and will always be. Something that can evolve as you evolve, and something that can impact others.

How do you feel about your business right now?

And if you too are pregnant or a new mom, how do you balance this with blogging?