New Zealand MP cycles to hospital while in labour
New Zealand MP Julie Ann Genter on the early hours of Sunday morning cycled to hospital while in labour and gave birth about an hour later.
Ms Genter, who is her party’s spokesperson for transport issues, shared the news on her Facebook page, which was received with hundreds of congratulatory messages.
“Big news! At 3.04am this morning we welcomed the newest member of our family. I genuinely wasn’t planning to cycle in labour, but it did end up happening,” read part of the Facebook post.
Julie and her partner Peter
“My contractions weren’t that bad when we left at 2am to go to the hospital – though they were 2-3 min apart and picking up in intensity by the time we arrived 10 minutes later,” she said.
The 41-year-old politician who has ‘I love my bicycle’ on her Facebook profile is known to promote cycling and famously rode her bike to an Auckland hospital in 2018 to give birth, local media said.
The pacific island is known for its down-to-earth leaders as its Prime Minister Jacinda Arden became the first elected world leader to take maternity leave. She also famously brought her three-month old to a UN meeting while breastfeeding.