Pregnant and independent

Hi Iza,
thanks for your reply!
In Belgium, this allowance also exists, but only if you've had at least 6 months of insured income. I don't have that.
During my 9 weeks of maternity leave, I do get paid by the sickness fund. But I'm mainly worried about what happens if I have to stay home for longer than 9 weeks due to circumstances...

Hey, I'm now 22 weeks pregnant and a self-employed hairdresser.
The reimbursement you get from the health insurance is actually not enough to cover the fixed business costs over a long period. I feel great at the moment and hope to be able to work until the last day. I'll obviously take it easier then. I have someone working part-time for me, but if I don't want to lose clients, I'll have to get back on my feet quickly. My plan is to stop for two or three weeks and then start working again. Does anyone here have experience with this, or do you all think I'm crazy? Greetings, Wendy

Hey,

I'm now 35 weeks pregnant and also self-employed. To cover the sad little allowance that doesn't even cover my private living costs, let alone my business expenses, I keep working until the last day. Hoping I don't go into labor earlier

Currently, everything is still going quite smoothly. I'm still staying home for the full 8 weeks and think that's actually quite short. Staying longer isn't financially feasible! I did save up seriously beforehand to bridge the period and avoid any financial hangover afterward.

Fortunately, I also found a daycare (horrible waiting times here in the Antwerp area) that had a spot available by October... otherwise, I would have had a serious problem.

Hey, I'm also self-employed and 27 weeks pregnant. I'm entitled to 8 weeks of maternity leave. Those 8 weeks are paid, but if I want to take time off earlier, I won't get paid for it. I'll have to work until the day I give birth; otherwise, you won't have much left for the little one afterward, I think.