Host a business conference while carrying your baby? Why not?

People talk about being inclusive, about understanding the needs of parents trying to juggle work and family life. They talk about wanting a diverse workforce and a move towards flexible working. But is this just easy rhetoric during the pandemic? Can words really translate into action, particularly for mothers of young children? Well I’m delighted to say I've just been supported to host a virtual business conference, with my 4 month-old strapped to my chest. Alongside @DynamoNorthEast and @BeaconHouseEvents, we think it's the first time this has happened in the UK and perhaps beyond. We didn’t make a song and dance about it- you never know how the schedule of a massive tech event with more than 70 speakers will fit in with a baby’s schedule…but it worked. It took a lot of planning to make it happen. Therefore, I thought I’d share a few things that need to be considered, so more companies could take the leap with other working mums and people having to work from home...

LOGISTICS: The focus for me as a self-employed mum to an almost newborn was balancing the needs of my baby with that of my client. One element was trying to avoid my daughter being a distraction when we were live on-screen. After preparing the script and researching the interviews for the conference, I printed off a copy of the running order of the 9 hour conference for my husband who was also working from home and able to help out. We marked up the windows for feeding, ideal times for the baby to be with me in the sling and opportunities for her to play loudly elsewhere at home with my husband. I also noted the sections of the event when I really needed space to concentrate on hosting panels and fireside chats without the chance of interruption. This is when my daughter got some fresh air, outside with daddy.

BABY FEEDING: My baby is breastfed on-demand, which means dinnertime can happen at almost anytime. As parents will know, this can be stressful and plans can get waylaid. If you’ve got a job that's time-bound (like a conference) it means coming up with a back-up plan. For us, that was looking for opportunities to feed when I wasn’t presenting on camera, and having a milk bottle on hand in case of a clash. 

BREASTFEEDING OUTFIT: Next up is access: finding an appropriate ‘occasion nursing dress’ that lets the baby feed easily and allows you to keep your modesty in case you suddenly end up on screen. After a lot of hunting online @Seraphine saved the day for me (Red Animal Print Maternity & Nursing Dress).

EVENT ACOUSTICS: When I'm hosting virtually I would normally use a clip mic and attach hidden headphones to provide the clearest sound, but I decided this would be too risky for the times when I was carrying the baby. A mere gurgle could be amplified into a roar. It may be a delightful noise to me but it could be an unwelcome distraction for the audience. At those times, I detached the clip mic and used my laptop's built-in mic instead. I'd already made sure the room I'd be broadcasting from (the nursery) was small enough for good acoustics and windows were closed for soundproofing. As other people will have realised, interruptions from nearby building work or delivery drivers can be a problem when you’re live on-screen. A polite note on your front door with instructions to any callers while you're broadcasting, is worthwhile.

BABY SLEEP: We all know how much happier we are if we get good rest, so making sure I could have my baby in her @ergobaby 360 carrier for sleeping was key. She’s always more content if I’m on my feet and able to rock slightly so I decided to build up the laptop screen height to have the camera at my eye level while standing. I also enlisted a friend of mine to design an original backdrop which would fill the space behind me standing up and look interesting on screen. (It’s amazing what some burnt pallet boards and ropes can do!) 

PRIVACY: The backdrop was also a way for me to keep my daughter’s nursery private. This is very important to me as the conference was not only streamed live on @hopin but was being recorded for full access after the event. I also had to consider the position of my baby so she wasn’t identifiable on screen. A recce sorted this out- by adjusting positions of the sling while recording a test video on my @apple MacBook.

COMMUNICATION: The final link in the chain was communicating with the event managers who were backstage. Sharing our plans ahead of the conference allowed us to make changes last minute with little fuss. Keeping each other in the loop via texts and IM meant we could sort any potential problems juggling work and childcare. Fortunately we didn’t need to make these adjustments but it gave me confidence to know we were sufficiently prepared. That reassurance meant I was more relaxed during the day so could focus on my work and I wasn’t uptight for the time with my baby. The smiles she gave me and my clients in the backstage areas made our day, as did the support from the delegates watching online. Thank you to everyone for your support. It means a lot. #workingmums #wfh #flexibleworking #breastfeeding #maternity #tech #business