Congratulations to Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford.
And congratulations to all young women holding down busy jobs, wondering when to start a family. This changes everything.
I start a new job on Tuesday. As a result, I've already decided I won't be having a baby this year. That conversation's been had with the husband. That's not an unusual story. It's just life for working women. We have to schedule in our babies like we schedule house renovations or big overseas trips.
Even in 2018, it's still tough deciding when to pull the pin on your career. And let's be honest, you often are pulling the pin on your career. Even if just temporarily. You wonder, have I done enough to be sure I'll get back into the industry when my baby's old enough? Am I inconveniencing my employer by dashing off to reproduce?
But Jacinda Ardern's announcement's changed the game. Or at least, it's starting the change. It forces us to reconsider whether a pregnancy is as much of a distraction from work as we seem to think it is. She's taking six weeks off the job. What's six weeks? That's one big trip to Europe in the middle of the year. The baby's occupying space in her torso, not short-circuiting her brain. She can still make decisions.