diff --git a/daemonize/src/lib.rs b/daemonize/src/lib.rs
index 4f0f758c..69f69e9e 100644
--- a/daemonize/src/lib.rs
+++ b/daemonize/src/lib.rs
@@ -374,16 +374,16 @@ impl<T> Daemonize<T> {
             set_sid()?;
             libc::umask(self.umask.inner);
 
-            if perform_fork()?.is_some() {
-                exit(0)
-            };
-
             let pid_file_fd = self
                 .pid_file
                 .clone()
                 .map(|pid_file| create_pid_file(pid_file))
                 .transpose()?;
 
+            if perform_fork()?.is_some() {
+                exit(0)
+            };
+
             redirect_standard_streams(self.stdin, self.stdout, self.stderr)?;
 
             let uid = self.user.map(|user| get_user(user)).transpose()?;
@@ -441,9 +441,9 @@ unsafe fn perform_fork() -> Result<Option<libc::pid_t>, ErrorKind> {
 }
 
 unsafe fn waitpid(pid: libc::pid_t) -> Result<libc::c_int, ErrorKind> {
-     let mut child_ret = 0;
-     check_err(libc::waitpid(pid, &mut child_ret, 0), ErrorKind::Wait)?;
-     Ok(child_ret)
+    let mut child_stat = 0;
+    check_err(libc::waitpid(pid, &mut child_stat, 0), ErrorKind::Wait)?;
+    Ok(libc::WEXITSTATUS(child_stat))
  }
 
 unsafe fn set_sid() -> Result<(), ErrorKind> {