It’s been a big weekend for newborn babies on the political scene. On Saturday, Chrissy Teigen addressed the crowds at the Families Belong Together rally in Los Angeles with month-old son Miles nestled against her chest in a baby wrap.
And while Jacinda Ardern is officially on maternity leave, the new mom is already juggling motherhood with her responsibilities as the prime minister of New Zealand. Ardern became the first female world leader to give birth in office since 1990 when she delivered daughter Neve on June 21.
Ardern dove right into her role of working mom by delivering an official video message to her constituents — sitting on her couch, with little Neve in her arms and not a scrap of makeup in sight.
While the Facebook Live video was unconventional, the baby’s presence was rather fitting given the government reform Ardern was addressing in it. As the Guardian reports, Sunday marked the first day of a paid parental leave plan for New Zealand in which parents of babies born from July 1 will receive 22 weeks of paid leave, as well as a weekly stipend for the first year. (As she was born just days before the July 1 start date, Neve is not eligible.)
Ardern — whose partner, Clarke Gayford, will become a stay-at-home dad when she returns to work — celebrated the new legislation and addressed her own experience with motherhood.
“This is my permanent state at the moment, either breastfeeding or this,” Ardern acknowledged, gesturing to the baby — aka her “human hot water bottle” — in her arms.
The prime minister also responded to comments from viewers watching live on Facebook.
“I was waiting for anyone to say I look tired,” she said. “I promise I am not too bad — I really just don’t have any makeup on, so that’s probably why I have a bit more bags under the eyes than usual. … But we are doing great, we are doing really great.”
Aside from a few trolls complaining about her lack of makeup, the video proved a hit. Thousands of commenters cheered on the paid parental leave plan, as well as Ardern’s commitment to keeping it real while getting work done.
“A prime minister wrapped in a blanket with a new baby still putting her country first,” one viewer exclaimed. “You are setting new boundaries!”
“Epic prime minister,” read another comment.
“She is amazing,” wrote another viewer. “Clearly exhausted, but always putting her people first.”
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