When you’re both a mom and an entrepreneur, maternity leave planning takes on a whole new level of complexity. It’s not just about arranging time away from a 9–5 job — it’s about making sure your business can continue running smoothly, your clients feel supported, and you can fully step into your role as mom without stressing about what’s happening behind the scenes.
As I prepared for the arrival of baby number two, I knew I wanted to be intentional about how I approached maternity leave this time around. Having done it once before with my first child, I had the benefit of hindsight and could build on what worked, while refining what didn’t. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at my maternity leave planning process, including how I prepared myself, my business, and my team.
Deciding How Long to Take Off
With my firstborn, I took three full months of maternity leave. It was the right decision at the time, especially since I had no idea what to expect as a new mom. For baby number two, I decided on two months.
Why shorter this time? The timing worked in my favor. Because this leave fell during the holiday season — when my business naturally slows down with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year — I knew I could comfortably take less time without overloading myself. Every family and business looks different, which is why maternity leave planning is about balancing personal needs with business realities.
How I Prepared Myself
The biggest gift I could give myself was getting ahead. I focused on batching tasks so I wouldn’t have to scramble once I returned.
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Podcast Episodes: I batch recorded guest interviews through the end of January, outlined and recorded solo episodes, and edited as much as possible in advance. This gave me peace of mind knowing content wouldn’t be an urgent task.
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Client Work: I worked hard to edit and schedule client podcast episodes for November and December. Even if I didn’t get 100% done, I knew being far ahead would ease my stress.
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Visibility: To keep leads flowing while I was quieter in Q4, I intentionally ramped up visibility in Q3, participating in bundles and summits. I also prepped my Black Friday promotion so sales could run while I was out of office.
This approach to maternity leave planning wasn’t about doing everything perfectly — it was about creating enough margin to truly step away.
How I Prepared My Team
One of the trickiest parts of maternity leave planning as an entrepreneur is making sure your team has everything they need to operate without you.
Here’s what I did:
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Created SOPs: I recorded detailed videos and had my operations assistant turn them into written step-by-step guides. This way, team members had resources in multiple formats.
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Established a Contingency Plan: We built a hierarchy chain of command so team members could problem-solve before escalating issues to me.
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Set Up an SOS Channel: I made a Slack channel for absolute emergencies. Knowing this was the only space I needed to check gave me peace of mind.
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Designated a Point of Contact: I appointed one team member as the go-to for both clients and team questions while I was away.
With these systems in place, I felt confident that the business could thrive in my absence.
Balancing Personal and Business Prep
Maternity leave planning isn’t just about the business side — it’s also about creating space for family. Before my scheduled C-section, I planned a week and a half for personal tasks like getting a haircut, finishing baby prep, and even sneaking in a pedicure. These little things may sound small, but they helped me feel more prepared and less frazzled when the baby arrived.
Once baby came, my only focus was rest, recovery, and adjusting to life as a family of four.
Looking Ahead
I plan to return to work in January with a flexible approach, knowing that nap schedules and postpartum recovery don’t always follow a plan. The beauty of intentional maternity leave planning is that it gives you the freedom to adapt while keeping your business afloat.
If you’re a fellow mom entrepreneur preparing for your own maternity leave, here’s my biggest piece of advice: give yourself grace. Plan as much as you can, set up systems, but also know you won’t get it all perfect — and that’s okay.
Final Thoughts
Whether it’s your first or fourth baby, maternity leave planning is an evolving process. Each season brings different challenges, and each baby brings new dynamics. But with preparation, clear communication, and a little grace, it’s absolutely possible to enjoy this precious time while keeping your business sustainable.
Have you started thinking about your own maternity leave planning? I’d love to hear your approach — connect with me on Instagram @momsmakemoneycollective.
Related Episodes and Blog Posts:
How I Run a Thriving Business with a 20 Hour Workweek
Running a Business While Raising Babies: The Untold Truth
The Invisible Load of the Mom CEO
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