New Zealand MP Cycles To Hospital While In Labour

A politician from New Zealand had to cycle herself to hospital whilst she was in labour, and ended up giving birth to her child just around an hour afterwards.

The New Zealand Member of Parliament Julie Anne Genter, who is 41-years-old, got on her bike in the wee small hours of Sunday morning and set off towards the hospital in Wellington.

She was already in labour when she left, and ended up giving birth at about 3:00am.

On her Facebook page, she shared the happy – if slightly bizarre – news.

Julie Anne Gentel/Facebook

Genter said: “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.

“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.

“Amazingly now we have a healthy, happy little one sleeping, as is her dad.”

Genter is a dual citizen of both the USA and New Zealand, having been born in Minnesota before moving across the Pacific Ocean in 2006.

Weirdly enough, this isn’t the first time that she’s cycled off to give birth, as she took a bike ride to the hospital when her first child was born in 2018.

At the time, she shared on Instagram: “Beautiful Sunday morning for a bike ride, to the hospital, for an induction to finally have this baby.”

She’s a good ambassador for her party, it would seem, as Ms Genter is her party’s spokesperson on transport issues, and even has ‘I love my bike’ written on her Facebook profile.

You’d have to, if you were willing to travel there whilst in labour.

It seems as if the politicians of New Zealand are pretty good at being laid back in their approach to childcare in the workplace.

Instagram/Julie Anne Gentel

Jacinda Ardern – the New Zealand Prime Minister – famously attended a UN meeting with her three-month-old baby, who she was breastfeeding at the time.

On top of that, Ardern also took maternity leave whilst she was employed in the top job, and became one of the first world leaders to ever give birth whilst in office.

At the time, she said: "I don't want to ever give the impression that I'm some kind of wonder woman.

“Or that women should be expected to do everything because I am. I'm not doing everything."

Topics: Weird, World News, Politics

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

@TPWagwim