Welcome to the exciting journey of motherhood! While expecting a newborn baby can be filled with excitement and joy, you may also find yourself contemplating the financial aspects of this life-changing experience.
The good news is that being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your financial well-being. In this blog, we’ll explore 5 ways to make money while pregnant and unemployed, and no…it doesn’t include any of those “play this game” to make money gimmicks.
These are all genuine, rewarding pathways to bring you some income during this special time, which can also turn into a full-fledged business. I did #1 and #5 on this list, so now it’s time to share exactly what I did.
1. Apply To Remote Pregnant Friendly Jobs
This may be a no-brainer, but the best way to make money while pregnant is to apply to pregnant-friendly remote jobs so you can stay at home.
Now, you may be thinking “I’ve already done that, but I haven’t landed any interviews”. The key is to have an impressive resume highlighting your skills and experience. This will greatly enhance your chances of getting interviews quickly so you can start earning money while pregnant.
So, how can you go about crafting an impressive resume?
In today’s tech-driven world, many people are turning to AI to create their resumes. While AI has its advantages, it’s not perfect. AI could overlook your potential, especially if your career path is a bit unconventional. This is why I suggest hiring a professional resume writer, to ensure your resume truly reflects your strengths.
Hiring a Professional Resume Writer
If you’re pregnant and on the market for stay-at-home jobs, investing in a professional resume writer is a savvy move for your job hunt. These specialists have a deep understanding of crafting standout resumes, tailoring them to specific job requirements, and effectively showcasing your strengths.
Top Resume is my go-to resume service provider. You can choose from four different packages that range in price from $149 to $699. I discovered them a while back, when I was job hunting for stay-at-home jobs. I was also pregnant and unemployed during that time.
With ten years of experience as a purchasing agent, I felt confident in my skills but rusty in resume writing and unsure if my old resume still cut it, so I decided to give Top Resume a shot.
Within a day, they provided a comprehensive evaluation, including insights on how applicant tracking systems (ATS) analyze resumes—a feature I found incredibly enlightening.
After using Top Resume and having back a professionally written resume, I wasted no time in applying to remote job listings. It didn’t take long before I landed a role as a fully remote senior buyer. I was so ecstatic to finally be able to work from home and earn money while pregnant. I also didn’t have to sacrifice having a fulfilling career.
So, If you’re thinking “I’m pregnant and need a job from home”, just start polishing up that resume of yours. You’ll be surprised at how many doors swing open once you do.
2. Freelance To Make Money While Pregnant
Freelancing has become a hot topic for earning money remotely, and it’s no wonder why. It’s flexible and it provides the opportunity to do jobs from the comfort of your own home. Freelancing is one of the best ways to make money while pregnant, because we have the freedom to pick and choose projects that match our busy schedules.
When it comes to freelancing, the options are endless—from web development, and graphic design, to social media management, copywriting, digital marketing, data entry, translation, and customer support. There is a wide range of opportunities for all skills and expertise.
Before we talk about where you can find freelancing gigs, let’s talk about how you can learn or expand on an existing skill you possess.
How To Learn A Skill To Freelance
The present-day approach of gaining knowledge and skills is through online tutorials and courses that teach new talents.
Skillshare is an online learning platform that offers a wide range of courses and tutorials on various subjects. It’s absolutely worth it if you’re a beginner or an expert looking for an at-your-own-pace learning experience. Whether you’re looking to improve your writing skills for copywriting, or want to do something more fun and hands on like learning to draw, Skillshare has it all with thousands of classes available. You can start your first month for free – so you have nothing to loose but everything to gain!
Another excellent learning platform is Udemy, which is a goldmine for anyone eager to pick up new skills, thanks to its enormous range of courses, top-notch instructors, and flexible learning options. Whether you’re into tech, business, design, personal development, languages, or even health and music, Udemy has you covered. In addition, many Udemy courses offer certificates of completion which can be useful when applying for freelancing jobs.
How Jessica Became A Self Taught Web Developer & Freelancer
Meet Ms. Jessica, aka “The Minimal” Jess, a stay-at-home mom, and a self-taught web developer. She shares her journey on how she became a successful web developer, starting from scratch with zero background experience and no coding degree.
When Jessica began her coding journey, she relied heavily on free resources to learn the ropes. For 6 months straight, she poured her heart and soul into the world of HTML, CSS, and Java, mastering the coding languages like a pro. All that hustle paid off big time when she landed an incredible role as a web developer at a tech company, pulling in 6 figures a year. But after a while, she decided to do her own thing and started freelancing full-time from home.
She never imagined she would be where she is today, but she took control of her destiny and used the resources around her. Now, she’s compiled a wealth of these resources to help others learn to code for free. Be sure to check out her YouTube channel and other social media platforms for invaluable insights and inspiration.
Top Websites To Find Freelancing Jobs
While there are many websites out there for finding freelancing jobs, these are the leading platforms:
Upwork is a top-notch freelancing platform with effective bidding strategies and millions of active users. It is a a prime spot to connect with numerous potential clients and gigs.
Fiverr is an excellent platform for starting freelancing due to its global reach and wide range of services. Fiverr doesn’t have a bidding system like Upwork, which may or may not be advantageous depending on your preferred method of working.
PeoplePerHour (PPH) is a platform based in the UK that’s particularly beneficial for content writers. With over a million businesses seeking freelancers, it offers a quality matching system to connect freelancers with suitable projects.
3. Become a Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote employee who offers administrative support for a business. They perform tasks from home with the skills that most people usually already have- such as scheduling appointments, making phone calls, arranging travel, or organizing emails. As of 2023, the average monthly range of virtual assistants is $400 to $5,600.
Becoming a VA is one of the best ways to make money while pregnant, as the work is relatively straightforward and allows for flexible hours from home. Some typical job duties of a VA include bookkeeping, customer service, data entry, content management, writing, and research.
How To Become A Virtual Assistant & Earn Money While Pregnant
- Define Your Specialty: Determine the specific services you’ll offer (ex: administrative support or social media management).
- Build Your Online Presence: Set up a social media account for your business and consider setting up a professional website to attract potential clients.
- Find Clients: Explore freelancing platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or network with small businesses to offer your services.
- Establish Clear Terms: Set expectations and pricing upfront to ensure a smooth working relationship with your clients.
- Deliver Quality Work: Consistently provide excellent service to build a strong reputation and secure repeat business.
- Keep Learning: Stay updated on industry trends and adapt to meet the changing needs of your clients.
While these steps offer a solid starting point, investing in a course can help you accelerate your career as a virtual assistant, especially if you want to make money while pregnant fast.
Accelerate Your Career & Invest In A Course
Meet Abbey Ashley. The founder of The Virtual Savvy, a training business for aspiring virtual assistants.
Abbey helps aspiring virtual assistants in starting and expanding their own home-based businesses. In just 30 days after starting her own virtual assistant business in 2015, Abbey was able to quadruple her pay from her prior full-time corporate position while only putting in 20 hours per week! Since then, she has expanded her at-home business into a multi-seven figure enterprise and retired with her husband. Her current focus is assisting others in launching their own virtual assistant businesses so they can enjoy lives of freedom!
Virtual Savvy provides a thorough online course that will equip you with the knowledge and abilities needed to succeed in the field. These are the reasons it sticks out:
- Professional Advice: The course offers firsthand insights and success tactics, and it is facilitated by seasoned virtual assistant Abbey Ashley.
- Practical Training: Students receive hands-on training in a range of VA jobs, including social media management and administrative responsibilities, via video tutorials, worksheets, and other materials.
- Community Support: Students become a part of a welcoming group of fellow VAs
- Business Building: In addition to covering skills, this course addresses client acquisition, pricing, and marketing—all crucial facets of launching and expanding a virtual assistant business.
- Flexibility: Self-paced modules allow students to customize their study schedules to accommodate everyone’s busy life
- Proven Results: A large number of graduates have begun their VA professions with success, crediting this to the course’s effectiveness in preparing them for the demands of the real world.
Unsure if it’s the right fit for you? Check out their free training video to get a taste of what’s in store!
Where To Find VA Jobs
While platforms like Fiverr and Upwork dominate the VA job market, there are several lesser-known sites worth exploring. Pregnant women looking for VA jobs have the perfect opportunity to work remotely on these sites.
Fancy Hands offers virtual assistant services to individuals and businesses, providing access to a team of skilled assistants to handle various tasks such as scheduling appointments, making phone calls, and research.
VANetworking is a community and resource hub for virtual assistants that provides forums, training, and networking opportunities to help VAs grow their businesses and connect with clients.
Zirtual provides virtual assistant services for entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals, offering personalized support and assistance with tasks ranging from email management to project coordination.
Boldly focuses in supplying top-notch virtual assistant services to entrepreneurs and busy professionals. As a VA, you may qualify to manage projects, assist with administrative work, and do other jobs.
BELAY allows you to perform bookkeeping and online support tasks, to assist people and companies in streamlining their operations.
4. Sell Handmade Goods & Earn Money While Pregnant
Selling handmade goods is one of the smartest ways to make money while pregnant.
Here are 3 reasons why you should make money crafting:
- The low startup costs make crafting a feasible way for anyone to earn a living.
- Crafting gives you an avenue to express your creativity
- Selling crafts offers flexibility to work on your terms and schedule – making it the perfect gig to make money while pregnant.
If you are pregnant with no job and want to start selling handmade goods – take a look at my blog “39 Incredible Money-Making Crafts for Stay-at-Home Moms.” It’s packed with valuable insights on starting a craft business from home, along with a wide range of craft ideas to kickstart your journey.
What Do I need To Start A Craft Business?
Don’t worry, no heavy lifting is required for this. When you’re starting a handmade business, the things you need are minimal. All you need are your craft ideas, materials for crafting, a platform like Etsy or Shopify to sell, and social media to start promoting your crafts.
One very handy tool I would recommend getting is a Cricut machine. This is a holy grail for crafty people – as the things you can make are endless.
With a Cricut machine, you can easily produce a wide range of things, from personalized gifts to custom apparel, thanks to its exceptional versatility and precise cutting. Regardless of your level of experience, Cricut can help you elevate your projects.
5. Sell Used & Vintage Clothing
Selling used clothing is hands down my favorite way to earn money while pregnant—it’s like getting paid to shop! I began selling used clothing back in 2020, primarily on Etsy, so I’ve gained some valuable insights into the ins and outs of this side hustle.
Start by checking out local thrift shops, estate sales, and flea markets for unique vintage pieces. Vintage items come in all styles, from retro and quirky to sophisticated and couture, and even lingerie and undergarments. Next, decide where to sell your secondhand items. With plenty of options available, consider cross-listing on multiple sites to reach a wider audience and increase your sales potential
Best Platforms for Selling Secondhand Clothing
Etsy is widely regarded as the top platform for selling vintage items because it specializes in handmade and vintage goods. From my personal experience, Etsy has been incredibly successful for me, mainly because of its large customer base audience. I’ve been able to earn around $800 in monthly sales with just 3 to 5 hours of work per week.
While Etsy is widely recognized as the top platform for vintage reselling, there are numerous other excellent platforms to explore, such as eBay, posh mark, depop and Whatnot (a newer, emerging market for resellers).
Whatnot is An active marketplace where you can interact in live-selling events with collectors and other viewers. You can choose when to go live and start selling as soon as you’re approved. According to their website, sellers who go live typically achieve monthly sales averaging over $6,000.
Whatnot uses a volume-selling business strategy, which allows for faster turnover by moving larger quantities of goods at lower margins. For example, even if you list products at $20 on eBay, you may sell them for $10–15 on Whatnot and sell out of your inventory in one night.
How To Create Beautiful Listings That Sell
No matter which platform you opt for, presentation is key in drawing in buyers and increasing the value of your items. Be sure to take high-quality photos of your garments to showcase their appeal effectively, and provide a thorough description of the item.
Thankfully, you don’t need much in terms of tools—a good phone camera will do the trick. For those who want to step it up a notch, consider investing in a garment steamer. It’s a worthwhile addition as many thrifted items tend to be a bit wrinkled and could use some sprucing up before listing. Here is the exact steamer that I used to help me perfect this stunning garment.
Final Thoughts On The Best Ways To Make Money While Pregnant
I vividly recall the challenges of being 6 months pregnant and jobless, struggling to make ends meet. While it may feel daunting to earn income during pregnancy, with a solid plan and dedication, it’s entirely possible to alleviate financial worries and cherish this precious time.
There are plenty of ways to earn money while expecting, whether it be through remote jobs, freelancing, crafting, or reselling clothing. With determination, you can balance both your career and motherhood.
If you found this post helpful, feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts!