New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford announce their pregnancy with their first child to media at press conference in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. Ardern... (Associated Press) 
 
 WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's prime minister announced on Friday that she is expecting her first child in June. 
 
 Jacinda Ardern, 37, took office in October. Speculation swirled around whether she would start a family soon when she took over the leadership of her then-opposition Labour Party last year. 
 
 Ardern took to Twitter to announce that she and her partner Clarke Gayford were expecting a child, and that Gayford would become a stay-at-home dad. 
 
 "We thought 2017 was a big year! This year we'll join the many parents who wear two hats. I'll be PM & a mum while Clarke will be 'first man of fishing' & stay at home dad," she tweeted. 
 
 She said in a statement that she had asked Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters on Thursday to act as prime minister for six weeks after the birth. 
 
 "I fully intend to be contactable and available throughout the six-week period when needed," she said. "I will make arrangements for appropriate ministers to act in my other portfolios over the six weeks I am away from Parliament." 
 
 After the six weeks, she will resume all her prime ministerial duties. 
 
 "Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary care-giver. Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies, we consider ourselves to be very lucky," she said. 
 
 "Clarke and I have always been clear we wanted to be parents but had been told we would need help for that to happen. That's made this news a fantastic surprise," she added. 
 
 The couple discovered she was pregnant on Oct. 13 — two weeks before she was sworn in as national leader. 
 
 Within a day of Ardern becoming Labour Party leader, seven weeks before the election, she was twice asked by television hosts about her plans for children. One host, Mark Richardson, questioned whether it was acceptable for the country's leader to take maternity leave while in office, and said most employers would want to know the maternity plans of their workers. 
 
 Ardern, who has previously talked about the difficulties of juggling political life while also wanting to start a family, said she was happy to answer such questions, but others shouldn't feel compelled. 
 
 "For other women, it is totally unacceptable in 2017 to say that women should have to answer that question in the workplace," she responded, while pointing her finger at Richardson. "That is unacceptable." 
 
 Her answers seemed to resonate with many people, some of whom pointed out that under New Zealand law, workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy is illegal. Ardern said she was surprised her comments were picked up abroad. ||||| Image copyright @jacindaardern Image caption New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern posted a picture on Instagram of her with her new baby 
 
 New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given birth to her first child, a girl weighing 3.31kg (7.3lb). 
 
 This makes her only the second elected leader in modern history to give birth while in office. 
 
 Ms Ardern was admitted to a hospital in the city of Auckland early on Thursday morning, four days after her due date. 
 
 The 37-year-old has passed on her duties to Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters while she takes six weeks of maternity leave. 
 
 However, she said she would be consulted on significant issues and would continue to read cabinet papers during her time away. 
 
 The baby was born at 16:45 (04:45 GMT). Ms Ardern later broke news of the birth on social media, saying she felt very lucky and thanking staff at the hospital. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Becoming a mum Jacinda Arden spoke about juggling motherhood and leadership 
 
 In a statement, she also said: "I'm sure we're going through all of the emotions new parents go through, but at the same time feeling so grateful for all the kindness and best wishes from so many people. Thank you." 
 
 Congratulations from fellow politicians started pouring in from around the region, including from former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. 
 
 Skip Twitter post by @MorganGodfery Jacinda Ardern arrived at hospital in her own car, with Clarke driving. No Crown limo or special ambulance. Her baby was delivered in a public hospital alongside everyone else’s. No private hospital. No extra special attention. 
 
 
 
 New Zealand, remain your understated self. — Morgan Godfery (@MorganGodfery) June 21, 2018 Report 
 
 Ms Ardern, who was elected in October, announced in January that she and her partner Clarke Gayford were expecting a baby. 
 
 "I am not the first woman to multitask," she had said earlier this year in an interview with Radio New Zealand. "I am not the first woman to work and have a baby; there are many women who have done this before." 
 
 She is the youngest prime minister the country has had since 1856. 
 
 In 1990, the late Benazir Bhutto gave birth to a daughter while serving as Pakistan's prime minister, a first for an elected world leader. Incidentally, Ms Ardern's baby was born on what would have been Ms Bhutto's birthday. 
 
 Bhutto's very private maternity 
 
 M Ilyas Khan, BBC News, Islamabad 
 
 When Ms Bhutto gave birth to a baby girl in January 1990, a military-funded right-wing alliance was tightening its siege of her government. 
 
 So she never publicly declared her pregnancy and did not proceed with maternity leave. In fact, she had a quick Caesarian section performed by her gynaecologist and returned to work soon afterwards. 
 
 Months later, her government was sacked by a president who then had discretionary powers to send an elected government home. 
 
 Her other two children were born in similar conditions - in secrecy and through Caesarian section - establishing her as a woman who could handle maternity while simultaneously fighting a fierce battle for democracy. 
 
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– New Zealand's new prime minister has a new baby on the way. Jacinda Ardern, who took office in October, says she and her partner Clarke Gayford are expecting their first child. She says Gayford will be a stay-at-home dad. "We thought 2017 was a big year! This year we'll join the many parents who wear two hats. I'll be PM & a mum while Clarke will be 'first man of fishing' & stay at home dad," she tweeted Friday. In a statement, Ardern said Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will be acting prime minister while she is on leave for six weeks after the birth, the AP reports. "Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary care-giver. Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies, we consider ourselves to be very lucky," she said. "Clarke and I have always been clear we wanted to be parents but had been told we would need help for that to happen. That's made this news a fantastic surprise," Ardern added. She discovered she was pregnant on Oct. 13, just two weeks before she was sworn in as prime minister. The New Zealand Herald reports that the baby is due in June and couple know the baby's gender, but they are keeping that information private for now. After becoming Labour Party leader in August last year, Ardern was asked about her plans for children, and told reporters that while she would answer such questions, it is "unacceptable" to expect other women to answer them in the workplace. Ardern will be the first world leader to give birth while in office since Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto had a daughter, her second child, while prime minister in 1990, Quartz reports.