Ardern limits travel as baby date approaches

With a bit more than a fortnight until her due date, Jacinda Ardern is trying to stay close to hospitals on her travels in case she gets “caught out”.

The Prime Minister has been cleared to fly until her due date of June 17. She plans to do so, but says she is wary of travelling too far.

“My concern is what if I get caught out? Down in Southland, I was surrounded by amazing members of the farming community who I’m sure could have helped me out if I found myself in a spot of bother with the old early arrival. I’m trying to now stay a bit closer to the hospital,” she told More FM yesterday during a trip to South Canterbury to visit a farm affected by Mycoplasma bovis disease.

The farmers’ experience in calving and lambing may yet be called on — Ardern has told the she hopes to go to Field Days in the Waikato on June 15, just two days before her due date.

She said yesterday she was not certain she would get to the big farm show: “Looking at me, any time now.”

Ardern said she planned to have a midwife and partner Clarke Gayford there for the birth. Her mother would be “down south” but contacted as soon as labour began.

She said she would not switch off from work completely once her baby arrived and Winston Peters took over as Acting Prime Minister. She expected to be able to read her usual load of papers.

“I’ll just be based in one place a bit more. That’ll be the difference.”

Ardern said she had not had unusual cravings other than for salt and vinegar chips.

There was a long list of names for the baby, whose gender she and Gayford are not revealing ahead of time, but there were no favourites yet.

“So it’s not going well, I have to say. It’s one of those things where Clarke is absolutely convinced it will come to us as soon as it arrives. I think we’ll be sleep deprived and probably angry at each other so I don’t think that’s the best time to choose.”

Her security officers were on standby to ensure there were no mishaps, such as a slip on ice.

“They’d be very helpful in an ice scenario. At the moment I’m not sure I’d be able to get up on my own.”