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Don't think that having a baby will stop you from making money for a few years. There are loads of new opportunities open to you now that you are a mother. Here are a few of them.

Be a Doula

Doulas are birth-partners and post-birth partners - like surrogate mothers to new mothers - and any woman who has had a baby could become one.

You will need to take a doula course with British Doulas (contact below) who run four-day courses for women who want to become birth partners and post-birth partners. You do not need academic qualifications to go on the course but it leads to a City & Guilds Doula Profile of Achievement. You can work part-time or full-time as a post-birth doula, helping around the house, making sure the fridge is full, making food for the mother and helping her care for the baby. You can also work as a birth doula and you will be with a mother when she goes into labour and throughout the birth, Doulas in Britain make, on average, about £10 per hour for post-birth work and between £250-500 for a birth.

Contact: British Doulas - www.britishdoulas.co.uk or ring 020 7244 6053.

Childminding

As a registered childminder you can look after your own children as well as other people's. You are only allowed up to six children at a time, including your own: up to three under five years old and up to three more between five and eight years old.

There's no fixed fee and it varies all over the country, but the average pay per child is about £2.50 per hour for full-time care and £2.60 for part-time.

Find out more from the National Childminding Association.

Market research

There are a few companies in Britain that have a pool of people they call on regularly to join a focus group. Sometimes they specifically need mothers or fathers to test out child or baby-related products.

Saros Research is one company that conducts focus groups like these. Just log onto their website at www.sarosresearch.com, put in your details and wait for those invitations. You will only be allowed to do two sessions with them per year but you could also apply to other companies and get extra work. You can make between £30-£100 for a session depending on what you are talking about, plus free food! You can also make money by recruiting other people for the focus groups. You earn money each time one of your recruits takes part in some research.

Fostering

There is a huge need for foster parents in this country and if you have enough love, patience and experience in caring for children this can be a very worthwhile way of making some extra money.

The amount you are paid depends on the local authority. Between £100-£176 per child per week is the Government's recommended minimum, though some councils pay less. The Fostering Network recommends a minimum of £115-£200 per child (depending on their age) outside London per week. However, it is really important that you do this 'job' for the love of children rather than the need for money.

Contact: Foster-net - www.foster-net.co.uk
British association for Adoption and Fostering - www.baaf.co.uk
The Fostering Network - www.fostering.net
Every Child Matters - www.everychildmatters.gov.uk

Become a lactation consultant

If you have breastfed your baby you may be interested in helping other women do the same. Train first to be a breastfeeding counsellor - a voluntary role - with the La Leche League or The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. Then, after gaining many hours of experience you could move on to train as a lactation consultant and charge for work in hospitals or private practice. Sue Saunders, a lactation consultant in Kent, says that depending on where you live and what your experience is you could charge between £15-50 an hour for consultancy.

Contact: NHS Breastfeeding resources - www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk
The La Leche League - www.lalecheleague.org
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers - www.abm.me.uk
Sue Saunders - lactation@homecall.co.uk

Jasmine Birtles is from Money Magpie - the website that gives you a richer life