When I first went on maternity leave, I was happy to go. Baby boy, yet to be born at the time, decided he liked laying horizontally inside me, kicking my lungs and leaning on my bladder. Between the discomfort, the back pain, and the perpetual exhaustion, it was no hardship at all to stay at home, wallowing in my bed and adult-sized tub—about the only two places I felt human anymore.
Then he was born, and everything changed.
I had a good job before I went on maternity leave, and Canada’s generous EI plan made sure that I’d have my job when I went back (and kept me partially paid until then) a whole year later. I know I was a lot luckier than some of my sisters in motherhood south of us, who often end up back in the workplace after a few short weeks–before they’re even fully healed.
But it was still traumatizing.
When you’re a new mom and former employee, choosing to stay home (however briefly) and dealing with an empty house and a demanding infant can be a bit of a system shock. Besides our hormones swinging like a pendulum–and our worlds being turned upside-down–we also sometimes have to cope with financial hardships and the loss of camaraderie and usefulness that we got from our places of employment.
It’s small wonder a lot of post-partum blues happen!
You can’t rely on being a stay-at-home for that same feeling of accomplishment, either. Grand plans of keeping house and home tend to go right out the window because of exhaustion and unpredictable schedules. Sometimes it was all I could do just to get a load of laundry done. Every excursion was an ordeal of diaper bags, extra clothing and strollers, and so I usually just stayed home.
It makes you claustrophobic, lonely, and makes you feel useless sometimes.
I’m not afraid to admit it. I need work. I need to feel useful, and simply looking after a baby wasn’t enough for me. I’m not content to be a supported and pampered housewife. Besides, I hate to clean.
Kidlet’s in school now, and things are different than they were when he was first born. There’s way more options for making a little extra coin on the side online than there used to be! One of them, a great option for new moms with small infants, is Usertesting.com. How it works is you’re paid $10 for every 15-20 minute video you make of you testing out a person or company’s website and explaining what you find confusing or difficult to use.
All you need to be a tester is a computer with an internet connection and a microphone to record your comments!
It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, but it is extra bucks in your pocket without imposing on baby-time. If you do just three tests a week—about an hour’s work–you can make an extra $1,500 a year from the comfort of home. And then, you can treat yourself to some “mommy luxuries”—like a babysitter, or a spa day, and some nice new clothes—completely guilt-free!
With UserTesting.com we can finally put our internet-scanning skills to work. Imagine being able to say tell your hubby that “NO, you aren’t scrolling Facebook, again,” and you actually have something to show for your online time.
Check out the UserTesting site, create an account, and try out a few tests to see how you do! Who knows, perhaps this is the doorway to a whole new opportunity for you.