“Welcome to our village wee one.”
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given birth to her first child.
The 37-year-old, who became the country’s youngest prime minister since 1856 last year, and her partner Clarke Gayford announced they were expecting in January this year.
And the pair said they were “feeling very lucky” after welcoming their little girl on Thursday afternoon local time.
She wrote on Instagram:
“Welcome to our village wee one.
“Feeling very lucky to have a healthy baby girl that arrived at 4.45pm weighing 3.31kg (7.3lb).
“Thank you so much for your best wishes and your kindness. We’re all doing really well thanks to the wonderful team at Auckland City Hospital.”
According to the BBC, Ms Ardern is the second elected leader in modern history to give birth while holding office.
She had previously announced that she would be taking six weeks of maternity leave following the birth of their child, with Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, becoming acting PM during that time.
In a statement issued after she revealed her pregnancy, Ms Ardern continued:
“At the end of my leave I will resume all Prime Ministerial duties.
“Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary caregiver. Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies, we consider ourselves to be very lucky.”
The couple learned that they were expecting on October 13, “but as many couples do in the early stages, we kept it to ourselves”.
The statement concluded:
“We consider ourselves lucky for another reason. Clarke and I have always been clear we wanted to be parents but had been told we would need help for that to happen. That’s made this news a fantastic surprise.”
