Starting Etsy full-time while pregnant / have a newborn

[Former_Member]

Hello everyone!
It has been ages since I have been on the Etsy teams, and it is so nice to be back! I am expecting in November, and I am currently trying to figure out what my best option is in terms of career. Considering this is my first child, I have 0 knowledge on the time commitment (I'm sure it's astronomical!) on caring for a child, and I wanted to put it out to the Etsy team to see if it is possible for me to care for a newborn while trying to run a successful Etsy shop full-time. I am trying to face the facts, but I am also trying to find a way to give my child a better life.

If anyone can give me a personal story or advice on this, it would most definitely be appreciated! At the end of the day, I just want to be confident in my decision and have no regrets.

Best wishes,
Kelly @Fost&Lound.

[MariasWorkshop]

Hi Kelly,

Welcome back and congratulations. I am not a new mom trying to run a successful Etsy shop, but I am a grandmother that still remembers all the work and attention that babies require. Most new moms are frazzled the first few weeks. It would be great if you have some help. After a few weeks, when the baby and you have settled down and gotten used to the newness of it all, and depending on how well organized you are, I believe running an Etsy shop is very doable. It would also be wonderful for your baby to have you near as a stay-at-home mom.

I started making porcelain dolls when my children were very young and that helped me keep balanced, I was sleepy, but making the dolls and their clothes was very therapeutic and calming and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would be curious to find out what new moms with Etsy shops have to say.

In the meantime, best of luck to you and your baby! I wish you a lot of success with your Etsy shop. I am sure you will do great.

[Former_Member]

Hi Maria!
Thank you for your input. I completely understand I have a lot of adjusting to do after delivery, I am just hoping I can be superwoman! I know I will need time and need to do a lot of troubleshooting, but I am sure I can manage over time.
Again, thank you for your advice, and I wish you all the best with your shop :).
Kelly

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Congrats on your pregnancy!
I hope everything goes well and you will have a happy and healthy baby.
Don't forget to take good care of yourself too.

I hope you are looking to make a little extra money on the side, because actually living from the profits of your Etsy shop is an unrealistic goal.

[NorthEastMama]

I'm a new mom myself and I'm also expecting another one in September. I started my Etsy shop when I was on maternity leave. Now I'm trying to breathe life back into it.

The first thing I would say is don't make any plans until your baby arrives. You don't know if you will have a sleeper or nonsleeper. You also don't know how your recovery will go.

My baby was a sleeper and my physical recovery was a breeze, however several weeks after birth I was diagnosed with postpartum depression. Most days it was hard to just get out of bed much less think about anything else.

Start as much as you can now and plan for a break when you give birth. Ask a friend or significant other to help with any shipments, etc. After your baby is born then take it day by day, until you and the baby gets settled into a routine.

[Inugurumi]

Congratulations, Kelly! I've been working full-time on Etsy before and after my daughter was born. I reopened my shop 1 week after I delivered her, since I didn't want to miss the holiday sales. Working full-time on Etsy while you have a new born is doable. For me, the newborn stage was the easy part, but it will greatly depend on how well your baby sleeps, how quickly you can go back to sleep, and what you have to do for work. For example, my daughter slept 3 hours straight from the beginning(it probably sounds awful to you now but it is actually great.) It means I only had to wake up twice a night. Also, I can go back to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow even after changing diapers and feeding her. So, I was rarely sleep deprived. Furthermore, my work involves sitting on my living room sofa and crocheting, so it wasn't a problem if my daughter was asleep, awake, peeing, pooping, feeding etc. I'm not sure what kind of work you have to do for your vintage shop, but if you have to go out and search for things to sell all day long with a newborn, it may be tough. I was able to work full time until she started crawling, which was about 7 months. Then I had to chase her which means I was interrupted from work every 5 minutes or so. Even then, my daughter took 2 naps a day, about 4 to 5 hours total, so it was more like 6 hours a day work instead of 8. When she started walking and stopped taking long naps, I decided to do Etsy as part-time. For me it was when she was 1 year and 3 months old. Now, she is 1 and 8 months old and I can only work when she is taking a nap(which is only 1.5 to 2 hours,) she is watching TV(which I don't want to do much) or after she goes to sleep at night. I am trying to reduce the number of sales, so I can work and still take care of her.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I can't do what I need to do and time goes by so quickly. Though, I am very happy I could work at home and stay with my daughter. I would have missed so many "first" if I haven't been working at home. There will be hard times because you are doing 2 jobs at the same time, but I'm sure you can figure out as your baby grows.