New Zealand MP cycles to hospital to give birth

New Zealand MP Julie Anne Genter cycled from her home to the hospital early on Sunday morning while in labour, giving birth just an hour later.

The Green party's spokesperson for transport, who is a well-known advocate for cycling in the country, shared the news via a Facebook post. Her husband accompanied her during the cycle to Wellington hospital on his bike, with Genter claiming that the contractions during the ride "weren't that bad."

Genter left her home at 2am on Sunday morning before giving birth just an hour later at 3:04am. 

She wrote: "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. And amazingly now we have a healthy, happy little one sleeping, as is her dad."

"Feeling blessed to have had excellent care and support from a great team, in what turned out to be a very fast (and happily uncomplicated) birth."

This is the second time that Genter has cycled to hospital to give birth either, doing the same in 2018 for her first-born. She also shared images of her cycling from a few days ago to her Instagram account, where she dropped her child off at day-care while still heavily pregnant.

Her Facebook profile includes the confession "I love my bicycle", perhaps giving reason as to why she decided on the less conventional method of travel while in labour. 

She has encouraged a shift from petrol vehicles with high emissions of polluting material to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles during her time as spokesperson for the  Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Genter also hopes that more people take up the sport she clearly loves so much.