Questions around disclosing pregnancy/maternity leave
Hi all! I'm almost 16 weeks pregnant and have been thinking about the logistics of when and how I should tell clients. I have a few clients who have complex feelings around pregnancy and plan to tell everyone in person, but it occurred to me some people may prefer time to process privately first.
Also I plan to make some schedule changes. I'm self employed in private practice and have worked 5 days a week, morning to evening, my entire career. Prior to pregnancy, I considered adjusting my schedule to be more consolidated and possibly fewer days a week, and pregnancy has only strengthened that desire. I believe I've figured out what schedule I would like to have when I return to work from maternity leave, but I would love to implement it in the next few months instead of waiting.
The idea of communicating multiple changes to clients in such close succession has me a bit worried. I understand that some people will not be able to make my new hours work, and some will not want to wait while I am on maternity leave. I'm seeking advice on the best way to communicate these changes. Some of my clients have been paying a reduced fee that we initially agreed would be temporary, but I never initiated a conversation about raising the fee when that time elapsed (completely my fault). So that throws in another potentially difficult conversation I need to have at some point 🙃
Would you recommend addressing some of these things at the same time? Such as schedule changes and pregnancy. Should I wait to address the fee side of things until the new year or when I return from maternity leave? Definitely feel like I'm learning a lesson on being overly accommodating and kicking myself a bit for it. Would appreciate any advice or encouragement.