First photo of baby released from hospital bed
By Gurbir Singh, Hamilton (New Zealand) June 21, 2018:
New Zealand’s 37-years-old Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, today gave birth to a healthy baby girl at 4.45pm at Auckland Public Hospital.
The news of the birth and photograph was released by the PM on Instagram.
“Welcome to our village wee one...”
The baby weighs 3.31 kgs and is the first for Jacinda Ardern and her 40-years old partner, Clarke Gayford.
“I’m sure we’re going through all of the emotions new parents go through, but at the same time feeling so grateful for all the kindness and best wishes from so many people. Thank you,” Jacinda Ardern said.
Both mother and the baby are doing well.
Ardern arrived at the hospital yesterday with her partner, Gayford at 5.50am in their own car as planned with Gayford at the wheel.
The child's birth is significant as she is the first child born to a female New Zealand Prime Minister, in power, in New Zealand’s history.
Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was the first modern head of government to give birth while in office when she gave birth to her daughter Bakhtawar on January, 25, 1990. Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 and today would have been her 55th birthday.
Her daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto congratulated Ardern on her pregnancy via Twitter today.
"Congratulations to Prime Minister @jacindaardern on the wonderful news," she wrote
Congratulatory messages havealso been pouring in from other world leaders to the couple.
The Prime Minister’s office will announce later when the family is due to leave hospital.
PM Arden has planned to take six weeks off from work and the Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters is now Acting Prime Minister.
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Gurbir Singh is a New Zealand-based freelance Feature Writer & Journalist. He can be reached at: gurbir@journalist.com
This story was first published by this Journalist in PressReader.com