New Zealand PM returns to work six weeks after giving birth
Jacinda Ardern has taken time off since having baby Neve and said she is keen to return to work and "do the job I promised to do".
Thursday 2 August 2018 15:40, UK
New Zealand's prime minister has returned to work six weeks after giving birth to her daughter.
Jacinda Ardern had been on maternity leave after the birth of Neve, becoming only the second elected world leader in modern times to have a baby while in office.
As she prepared to go back to work in the capital, Wellington, she said caring for Neve's most basic needs helped her to realise why so many parents with young children struggle to find time for politics.
The 38-year-old said: "So it's our job to make sure that we are serving the needs of people, regardless of whether they have time to engage with what we're doing or not.
"That's something that's been really amplified for me."
Ms Ardern said she had received congratulatory messages from as far afield as the Netherlands and India.
When she is back in the office, her partner Clarke Gayford will take the role of primary caregiver.
She said she hopes to prove she can "come back and do the job that I promised to do".
Speaking about her role as a mother in a high profile job, she said all new parents feel pressure, adding: "I just happen to be doing it publicly.
"So I guess it's different in one regard. But one day, hopefully, it won't be."
The last leader to give birth while in office was the late Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1990.
Ms Ardern credited the even split of duties for her ability to go back to work.
She said: "I'm getting sleep mostly because I'm sharing the load with others, and I'm very grateful for that.
"By that I mean Clarke. We're doing the job together."