I thought maternity leave looked the same for everyone... You stayed home with your baby. You tried your best to make maternity pay stretch. Constantly trying to work out how you were going to make it last. Because let's be honest... Maternity pay barely covers the basics. And I just assumed that's what every mum went through. I had no idea there were things I could've started learning before my baby even arrived that might've taken some of that pressure away. So I never looked. I never learnt. I just accepted that this was how it had to be. Then, before I knew it... The end of my maternity leave was here. I remember looking at my little girl thinking... I'm not ready yet. But after months of worrying about making everything stretch, going back to work felt like my only option. Looking back now... That was the mistake. Believing I had no other options. I wish someone had simply said, “Lauren... you do have other options” Not because everything would've changed overnight... But because I would've given myself the chance to atleast try. So when I found out I was pregnant again, I promised myself one thing... I wasn't going to spend another maternity leave believing I only had one option. That's when I started learning about digital products and Canva. Things like planners, checklists, invitations.. I started with ready-made products because I was a complete beginner, then gradually learnt how to create my own too. That one decision has since allowed me to extend my maternity leave, reduce my working hours AND create extra income from home around my girls 🙌 I started with no experience. No following. No clue what I was doing. But I was willing to learn! So if you've been feeling like you want more options when maternity leave comes around, DM me MATLEAVE and I'll go through exactly how I got started 💖 And make sure you're following too so we can message properly x #maternityleaveuk #babyontheway #pregnantlifeuk #matleaveoptions #sidehustlesformumsuk - @lauren.digitalsales