Last January I was constantly stressed about maternity pay.. Doing the same mental maths every week. Worrying about bills, childcare, and whether I’d have to go back earlier than I was ready for. This January feels calmer — not because life is suddenly easy, but because I gave myself options last year. I didn’t start confident. I didn’t have loads of time. I just stopped pretending £187 a week was “fine” and started something small that actually fit around mum life. Nothing overnight. Nothing un