So, I’m officially halfway through this pregnancy, which feels slightly surreal.

It honestly feels like only yesterday we found out, yet somehow we’re already at the halfway point and starting to think about everything that’s to come.

We’re so excited to meet our newest little addition, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t also had a few moments of thinking…

How on earth are we going to cope with two?!

Luckily, I’ve got Sam by my side, so I’m not doing it alone. Although I’m sure there will be plenty of moments where we both just look at each other with that “Right… what do we do now?” expression!

Then there’s Brea. Brea is officially in her Big Sister Era. Brea is three and a half and is absolutely loving her Big Sister Era already!

Although, I’m not sure the word three fully captures her personality. She’s three going on thirteen. She thinks she knows exactly what she wants, knows how everything should be done and has absolutely no problem making sure everyone else knows too. She’s our little sassy princess and definitely has a personality of her own!

I can already imagine her taking her big sister role very seriously — probably giving the baby instructions before they can even talk. She is genuinely so excited though, and it’s lovely watching her talk about the baby and getting her head around the fact that she’s going to be a big sister.

I think she’s going to absolutely adore it. I also think she’s going to enjoy being in charge. And if you know Brea… you’ll know exactly what I mean!

The thought of maternity leave…

Although I’m only halfway through, I’ve started thinking about maternity leave and what it’s going to be like taking a little break from the clinic.

And I have very mixed feelings about it.

Of course, I’m incredibly excited to have that precious time with our new baby, to watch Brea become a big sister and to enjoy that newborn bubble with Sam.

But I also know I’m going to miss my job.

I really love my job.

I often have moments where I genuinely think, “I can’t believe this is my job. This is what I get to earn a living doing?” It really doesn’t feel like work to me. I love the people, the conversations, the treatments, the regulars I get to see time and time again and the new faces that walk through the door every day.

No two days are quite the same, and I think that’s a huge part of why I love it so much. I’ll definitely miss the clinic chaos.

I already know I’m going to miss the clinic and all the chaos that comes with it when everyone is in. The noise, the laughs, the constant coming and going, the random conversations and just the general buzz of everyone being together.

And knowing me, I’ll probably struggle to stay away! I can already picture myself popping into the clinic while I’m off, telling everyone I’m “just popping in for a coffee and a quick catch-up.” Then somehow the coffee will turn into a full catch-up, the catch-up will turn into me staying for ages…

…and I’ll probably think, “Well, while I’m here, I might as well have a quick treatment!” 😂

Because apparently maternity leave won’t stop me from finding an excuse to come back into the clinic. I’m sure I’ll be very good at staying away. Probably. Maybe… We’ll see.

And of course, I’ll miss my regulars. One of the biggest things I’ll miss is seeing my regular clients. Over time, you get to know people properly. You hear about their families, their holidays, their plans, their ups and downs — and those regular appointments become much more than just appointments.

Then there are all the new people I get to meet every day, which is another part of my job I really love. I never know who is going to walk through the door or what conversation we’re going to end up having. It’s that combination of people, the clinic atmosphere and doing something I genuinely enjoy that makes me feel so lucky to do what I do.

And I think that’s why maternity leave feels slightly strange to me. I’m not saying goodbye to my job — absolutely not! I’ll be back. But I’ll be taking a little break from the clinic while I enjoy the newborn days and settle into life as a family of four.

For now, I’m enjoying being halfway there. Enjoying watching my bump grow, watching Brea fully embrace her Big Sister Era and getting excited with Sam about what’s ahead. I’m also trying to mentally prepare myself for the reality of having two children, because at the moment I feel like I’m wildly optimistic about how organised I’m going to be.

Ask me again once the baby arrives.

I’m sure there will be cuddles, chaos, laughter, very little sleep and probably a lot of “Where did I put that?” But I genuinely cannot wait.

And when maternity leave eventually arrives, I’ll be soaking up every minute with our new little baby — while inevitably missing the clinic, my regulars, the team and all the usual chaos.

So don’t worry…

I’m not going anywhere. I’ll just be temporarily swapping clinic life for newborn life.