Banglapress desk,Dhaka :New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given birth to her first child, a girl weighing 3.31kg (7.3lb). This makes her only the second elected leader in modern history to give birth while in office.
Ms Ardern was admitted to a hospital in the city of Auckland early on Thursday morning, four days after her due date. The 37-year-old will take six weeks of maternity leave, and has now passed on her duties to Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. However, she said she would remain in charge by continuing to read cabinet papers during her time away.
Ms Ardern broke news of the birth on social media, saying she felt very lucky and thanking staff at the hospital in Auckland. In a statement, she also said: “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.”
Congratulations from fellow politicians started pouring in from around the region, including tweets from former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Ms Ardern, who was elected in October, announced in January that she and her partner Clarke Gayford were expecting a baby. “I am not the first woman to multitask. I am not the first woman to work and have a baby; there are many women who have done this before,” she had said earlier this year in an interview with Radio New Zealand.
In 1990, Benazir Bhutto gave birth to a daughter while serving as Pakistan’s prime minister, a first for an elected world leader.
