NZ PM Jacinda Ardern gives birth to a baby girl

Jacinda Ardern has given birth to a baby girl. The New Zealand prime minister shared a photo of herself with partner Clarke Gayford and the new addition to their family on Thursday.

“Welcome to our village wee one,” Ardern wrote on Instagram. “Feeling very lucky to have a healthy baby girl that arrived at 4.45pm weighing 3.31kg (7.3lb) Thank you so much for your best wishes and kindness. We’re all doing really well thanks to the wonderful team at Auckland City Hospital.” [sic]

At 37, Jacinda is New Zealand’s youngest prime minister and the youngest female head of government in the world. She has made history once again for becoming the first woman in NZ’s history to give birth while in office. The first woman in history to give birth while serving as an elected world leader, however, was Benazir Bhutto, the prime minister of Pakistan, in 1990. Bhutto, incidentally, would have celebrated her 65^th birthday on Thursday if she were still alive today.

Ardern continued to work right up until the birth, saying that she resorted to teleconferences to meet with people because she was advised not to fly anymore by her physicians. She announced her pregnancy in January, just three months after she was elected.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is stepping in while Ardern takes maternity leave. He will head the country for the next six weeks.

Ardern has previously said she planned to return to work in early August. Gayford will then take over the care of their daughter and will travel with his partner between Auckland and Wellington, as well as on international trips if necessary.

Tributes have poured in for the Ardern and Gayford over their new bundle of joy. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he spoke with his Kiwi counterpart on the same morning.

Helen Clark, the second female prime minister of New Zealand, also congratulated the couple, saying their parenting arrangements were “gender equality” in action.