FOR many mums-to-be, the prospect of nine months of maternity leave is pure bliss, but for Emma Cusden it would have been more of a nightmare.
Having started her healthcare marketing business three months into her second pregnancy, the mum-of-three knew that maternity leave would be a minefield.
But what Emma, 34, wasn’t banking on was skipping it entirely.
Just hours after delivering her second baby Sailor, now three, via C-section Emma was responding to emails from clients and running her business from her hospital bed.
And while that might seem extreme for most, for Emma it was a necessity.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Emma says, “I started my business when I was three months pregnant which wasn’t the smartest idea as we were around a month away from the pandemic.
“It had a huge impact on the industry as a whole and I just wasn’t prepared to see my business crumble only to have to start right back at square one after maternity.
“I didn’t want to lose all of the clients that I had built up or risk them going elsewhere while I took six months off.
“Nor could I afford to survive off the £600 maternity pay I would receive from the government as I was self-employed and my partner is a firefighter.”
With Emma keen to keep her business on its feet during lockdown the couple decided to hire a nanny to ease the pressure on her following the birth.
“The plan was that they would help me to parent while I managed my workload once I arrived home from the hospital,” Emma says.
“But I didn’t imagine starting back at work while I was actually there.
“As I was being wheeled into my C-section a client was emailing me asking if I could put it off for ten minutes while I dealt with his issue, I had to explain that wasn’t an option.
“Luckily, I recovered quickly and was able to jump straight back to emails just hours after delivering.”
However, when Emma delivered her third child Jude, again via C-section, she was forced to take off a little longer – a whole two weeks.
As I was being wheeled into my C-section a client was emailing me asking if I could put it off for ten minutes while I dealt with his issue
Emma Cusden
“My third I struggled with so much more and had to take two weeks off,” Emma says.
“At this point I hired two nannies to work at our house because I had so many young children at home and I needed that extra help.
“And even in my two weeks of ‘down time’ I made sure I was still answering emails and keeping on top of my business, even if I couldn’t dedicate my whole time to it.”
Emma admits that juggling a newborn and a business was no easy task, she says she doesn’t regret her choice to return to work so quickly.
“Of course it was really intense, and you do want to just be sitting there with your newborn staring into their eyes and you’re so tired, but putting my time back into work was a huge investment,” she explains.
“I can’t just restart my business every time I have a baby, maternity pay wasn’t even close to enough to cover everything.
“We don’t see much change from £2,500 a month for our childcare a month and my partner’s wage is actually less than our childcare bill.
“People always say they don’t know how I do it but of course I don’t want anyone to feel bad that they aren’t – we have a lot of help from the cleaner, nannies etc.
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“We basically had to throw money at the problem, make no mistake about that.”
During her first pregnancy with her six-year-old son Freddy, Emma was working in digital marketing and decided to take her full maternity leave.
However, she says that it was of no benefit to her career and as a result she wished she hadn’t.
Emma explains: “When I came back I found everything had changed, and I really struggled to get back into things.
“However, by returning to work straight away I didn’t get that gap in my knowledge this time.
“I did reduce my days down but I essentially condensed all of my days into those days that I was working.
“It also meant I had absolutely no drop in salary which was a huge bonus.”
Our children never resent us working so hard because they get so many things out of it
Emma Cusden
Emma now works a four-day week taking off Wednesdays to attend baby groups while her husband firefighter Johnny, 36, works full time.
While the parents admit they rely on their nanny for a lot of their childcare, they say that in doing so they are able to provide more for their kids.
She explains: “Our children never resent us working so hard because they get so many things out of it, amazing holidays and days out, they can go to any club they want there is never the question of not being able to afford it.
“They can invite every child in their class to their birthday party rather than having to choose a small group of friends. My oldest, who’s six, understands there’s that trade off.
“If you’re going to thrive as a stay at home mum baking bread then of course that’s what will make you the best mum you could be but that’s not me.
“I also find it really fulfilling working and I really enjoy it and that means the time that I then have my kids, I am so engaged with them because I feel fulfilled in my other part of my life.
“I am the best mum I can be and that’s while I am working full time.”
