THE WAIT IS OVER!

Kerre shares her baby joy

He’s here! After months of waiting and being thankful that my daughter has had a brilliant pregnancy she has absolutely loved. Then there was a week or so of trying to soothe my sleep-deprived girl as she lay awake through the night with dreadful cramps wondering if today was finally going to be the day, followed by hours of nail-biting and agonising worry when she and her husband told me that this was it – they were at the hospital. They’d been told they wouldn’t be going home without a baby – and now he’s here.

Seven pounds, one ounce of perfection. (I’m sure the young ones at the Weekly will change the baby’s weight into metrics but I simply can’t picture a baby in my mind unless I’ve heard it’s weight in the old imperial measurement.)

Kate was magnificent and managed to do it on her own. Her husband was a trouper, spending nights on the hospital floor until he could take his family home. It’s such a relief to know that your much-loved and only child is in good hands.

Of course you still worry about them, but not nearly as much as you would if you didn’t trust their partner. The baby is absolutely beautiful – and I say that with complete objectivity. He’s sleeping and feeding, and generally doing what all perfect little babies should do and, so far, one week in, his parents are loving every minute of it.

However, Kate nannied all through university, so she has warned the doting father that this may well be the calm before the storm. Everyone, baby included, is enjoying a bit of peace and quiet, and much-needed sleep. But those of us who are parents remember that doesn’t generally last for long.

Still, by the time you read this, I should be there after winging my way from New Zealand to London to help the little family out for as long as they need it. You have no idea how grateful I am that they want me there and that my job, and indeed my own husband, allows me the freedom to do this.

When it comes to the columns I write for the Weekly, it is relatively easy to disappear to the other side of the world. You can write from anywhere and I will keep up my columns while I’m away. But for my bosses at Newstalk

ZB, it was a bit more problematic, although they have assured me they’ll do all they can to make it work.

I’ll take a fortnight off to clean, cook, wash, support, love and reassure – and I’ll try to keep doing that while working on the radio. The time difference means

I’ll be working with my co-host from 11pm to

3am and I’m not entirely sure how that will go.

Modern technology means I can broadcast from Kate and Ranko’s house in London.

Apparently it’s all very simple, but who knows? In a perfect world, I’ll come off-air just in time to give my grandson his 4am feed and then both of us will sleep for a solid stretch.

We’ll see. Everything is fluid and changeable, and up for negotiation when it comes to the minor details.

The important stuff has been taken care of. My daughter and her husband have created and safely delivered a beautiful baby boy, and I could not be more proud.

‘ This may well be the calm before the storm. Everyone, baby included, is enjoying a bit of peace and quiet’

As well as reading her column, listen to Kerre on Newstalk ZB, weekdays, noon to 4pm.