"Designing a Website While Growing a Human: What This Journey Has Taught Me"
When I launched Story Reimagined in September 2024, I envisioned a slow and steady build — just me, my laptop, and a passion to serve small business owners through custom Squarespace websites and templates for the goal of seeing their business come to life! I had just left a (somewhat) stable job and my husband launched his own business the same month. We were newly married and ready to build something meaningful, together.
And then — surprise — we found out we were expecting! Our first baby is due this September, exactly ONE YEAR after I started my business.
Running a web design business while pregnant has been both exhilarating and exhausting. The reality of maternity leave, prepping financially and operationally, and adjusting my work pace as my body holds a growing human has reshaped everything about how I approach this season. It’s been a wild blend of planning sprints, creative bursts, and learning to hold space for slowness when I need it most.
As a solo entrepreneur, there’s no built-in maternity leave. No HR Department to hand me a plan. It’s up to me to create structure, sustainability, and systems that will allow me to step away — even temporarily — without the business falling apart.
This blog post is for the web designers, small business owners, and creatives who are walking through big life changes while still showing up to scale their work — reasonably and sustainably for what’s to come. I’m sharing what I’ve learned, what I’ve built, and how I’m preparing my business — so it can keep growing, even when I’m rocking a newborn instead of refreshing my inbox.
Let’s dive into what it really looks like to run a creative business with motherhood on the horizon.
Productivity, Pacing, and Perfectionism
If you’re a web designer or solo entrepreneur trying to do it all while also growing a human — hi, I see you.
You might be figuring out how to stay productive, pacing your projects around your energy levels, and maybe (just maybe) trying to kick that perfectionism habit to the curb. Anyone else?
Pregnancy has humbled me in the best ways. While every pregnancy is different, here’s what’s shifted for me: I now sleep in until 6:30am (which feels late to my former 5am self), and I wrap up work between 3 - 5pm most days. Why? Because I’m tired and can’t think anymore. Like, “creating-a-whole-human-inside-me” tired and can’t think. And I’ve learned to respect that.
Instead of pushing through, I’ve created a weekday rhythm that supports both my business and my body:
☀️ Wake up around the same time every morning
🏋️♀️ Start the day with movement (usually a gym session)
💻 Get focused work done until early afternoon
🌿 Ease into slower, low-lift tasks or rest for the remainder of the day
In the early days of Story Reimagined, I had big plans to hustle. Daily posts. Back-to-back custom projects. Endless to-do lists and late nights. You can probably guess how that turned out. Spoiler: it didn’t. And that’s okay.
Pregnancy (and soon-to-come motherhood) forced me to choose sustainability over speed. I’ve learned that done is better than perfect. That launching the “pretty close” version of a quality product beats tweaking it for six more weeks. That isn’t laziness — it’s learning that not every step or everything you put out there will be perfect.
Letting go of perfectionism has been freeing, and surprisingly… profitable. When I stopped overthinking every detail and just put things out into the world, I started gaining real momentum. More clarity. More peace. And yes — more clients.
If you’re in a similar season — balancing business dreams with big life changes — give yourself permission to do less, but do it with focus, intention and strategy. You don’t need to hustle endlessly to see a financial return. You just need to show up, one step at a time.
designing from a sustainable place
My creative process has shifted a lot over the past few months — and for good reason. With maternity leave approaching and the reality of caring for a newborn as a solo-preneur, I knew I needed to build a business model that could breathe with me. That’s why I launched my Squarespace Template Shop — a beautiful blend of creativity and passive income that supports my family and my clients, even when I’m offline.
Instead of chasing volume and booking back-to-back projects, I’ve intentionally slowed down. For 2026, my goal is to book just 8–10 full custom website clients, along with a few one-page builds and website refreshes. This feels aligned, manageable, and most importantly — sustainable.
Another big change? I expanded my signature design process from four weeks to a six-week timeline. This not only gives me space to design with more intention, but also allows room for, well… life with a baby. Feedings, naps, the unexpected — it’s all part of the plan now. And honestly? Six weeks is still a fantastic turnaround for clients who want a strategic, stunning site without feeling rushed.
When it comes to weekly marketing, I’m keeping it super simple and having these scheduled out one month in advance:
📝 1 blog post
📸 3 Instagram posts
📌 5–10 Pinterest Pins
Each week. That’s it. When you focus your energy and work during your most productive hours, this approach is totally doable — and way less overwhelming than trying to be everywhere at once.
I’ve learned that growth doesn’t have to mean hustle. Sometimes, it looks like working smarter, slower, and more intentionally — and trusting that consistency (not burnout) will take you where you want to go.
Lessons In Boundaries + business
Before pregnancy, I was leaning hard into perfectionism — and inching very close to that hustle-all-day mindset
But let me tell you: what I’ve learned is this — not every season is meant to be a “grind.”
Some seasons call for a slower pace, margin, and deeper alignment. And honestly? I don’t believe we’re meant to live in the edge of burnout.
Pregnancy has re-centered my priorities. It’s reminded me to focus on what matters most: my family, my marriage, my health, and creating a business that fits my life — not the other way around.
That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being strategic. In fact, preparing for maternity leave has made me more intentional. Adding a baby to the mix (and all the financial responsibility that comes with it) has challenged me to get clearer on my business goals, simplify my systems, and focus on the work that actually moves the needle.
This season is teaching me how to work smarter, honor my boundaries, and trust that slower, sustainable growth is still growth — and often, the kind that lasts.
Closing Thoughts (From One Dreamer + Doer to Another)
Becoming a mom has shifted my vision in the best ways. I’ve learned to lean on my husband as a true partner, especially during the slower seasons when productivity looks a little different. I’ve learned to work smarter, not harder — and to give myself permission to pause, prioritize, and pivot.
Most importantly, I’ve learned to release perfection and just take the next step. Launch the thing. Post the offer. Show up even when I don’t feel 100% ready (because let’s be real — we never really do, but we can build the skills it takes as we go).
These are lessons I might have learned eventually… but pregnancy definitely fast-tracked them. Growing a tiny human will give you perspective like nothing else!
If you're a fellow mom or solo small business owner figuring this out as you go — I see you. You’re not alone. Let’s keep building something beautiful, one imperfect, intentional step at a time.
✨ Need website help for this next season of business?
Whether you're launching something brand new or refreshing your brand to match where you're headed, I’ve got you covered.
→ Shop my plug-and-play Squarespace templates — designed to convert and built to grow with you
→ Apply for a custom website design — so we can bring your vision to life, together
We’re in this for the long game, and your online home should reflect that.
Let’s make it happen.
