Last day in the office (and they gave me boobies)

Well, that’s that; I’ve officially finished up in the office for the next 7.5 months. I’ve got another 2 weeks of working from home, before finally taking 2 weeks off before baby’s due date. it will be the longest break I’ve ever had from work since starting full-time work at aged 18.

This week the girls in the office threw me a baby shower, which was really lovely of them! They had asked me what we wanted in the way of gifts, which as you may remember from my baby shower weekend always makes me feel uncomfortable.  I just don’t like that people feel like they have to give us anything.

So when they asked, I sent them a copy of the shopping list we still had to buy. It had all the fun things, like:

• Nipple cream
• Breast pads
• Cotton buds
• Feeding pillows
• Maternity pads

I mean, party! Am I right?

My reasoning behind the list is that if you’re going to ask for gifts they should be practical – the stuff that you’re actually going to use. Otherwise the child will be grown up before you’ve gone through all the fun stuff and it will have all been a waste. Why not help the parents with saving some money by getting them the things they would have had to pay out otherwise?

Well, props to the girls at work because they gifted me both my practical wishes and some other goodies in the most creative way possible. It showed just how well they know me, and my sense of humour.

They gave me boobies.

In the goodies box we have:

• Breast pads (put together in a spiral shape to form the bulk of the boob shape
• Maternity pads (the outside of the boobs)
• Raspberry lollies (two of which were placed appropriately to form nipples)
• Nipple cream
• A gorgeous hand-crafted teddy (thank you Katrin!!)
• An amazing muslin wrap scarf that doubles as a breastfeeding cover for privacy when out-and-about (I seriously love it, I think I will just wear it even when not feeding – see below)
• A baby sleeping bag (not pictured)

That was also joined with a card signed by other staff in the office giving us well-wishes for the impending birth.

I was very humbled and very thankful. Later, sitting by myself I even got a bit teary reading the card. It was just so nice to see the effort that people have gone to for us, and our little mister. It made me feel very special, indeed.

I love my workplace, I really do. It’s extremely stressful at times, but there is never a dull moment. I can challenge myself and satisfy my thirst to learn more. There is always something to do, and always a puzzle to solve.

Today I took a moment to just sit back and reflect. It really felt like it was the end of an era. I had been in the department since it’s birth, and it had been difficult to say in the least. Falling pregnant really had forced the hand in introducing resources into the department to take over. After 8 months, I had finally handed over full control to the team. It was like a huge weight came off my shoulders.

The next 7.5 months are going to be an interesting time. I can’t begin to imagine what my life will be like in comparison, that’s for sure. Like I said, I have never had this long off work, and it makes me wonder. Am I going to feel like I’m not challenged mentally and creatively? Will I be challenged more than ever? How will it feel when I go back to work next year? Will I feel like I’ve been left behind?

For all my mother friends, when you took an extended time off work how much time did you take? What was your experience? How did you feel when you went back to work?