New Zealand politician Julie Anne Genter recently shared the news about the birth of her baby girl. However, it was the member of parliament's labour, and what she did when she went into it, that is making global headlines. Instead of calling a cab, or hopping into her car, Genter got on her cycle and biked her way to the hospital. By the way, Genter is known to be a big advocate of biking.
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On November 28, Genter shared a post on Facebook, revealing that she went into labour at 3: 04 AM in the morning and gave birth an hour later. Genter also revealed that she wasn't planning to ride to the hospital on a bike, but it did end up happening. She also added that her contractions weren't that bad and that her newborn daughter was happy and healthy,
"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," Genter wrote in the caption of her post, adding, "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. (I’m smiling in the car park right after one.)"
Genter further added that she felt 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 wasn't the first time Genter rode a bike to hospital, and that too to have a baby. The politician who holds dual citizenship for the United States and New Zealand cycled to a hospital for the birth of her son in 2018.
Before we applaud Genter for being one of the coolest new moms of 2021, let us be clear that you need to consult with your gynaecologist if you plan to ride on a cycle for your delivery. Not every body is the same, neither is every childbirth. So before you go on championing the environment, listen to your body very closely and take your overall health and the status of your labour well into consideration.
Coming back to Genter, we are floored by the way she aced environmentalism and broke stigmas that many expecting moms face in one go, or rather one ride. Pregnant women are slapped with uncountable restrictions citing safety reasons. Especially in India, pregnant women are advised to take rest, avoid exertion or exercise. However, countless women have proved that pregnancy is not deterrent. You can drive motorbikes, run marathons or even cycle, as long as are deemed fit to do them.
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We hope that Genter's post will encourage people to rethink their understanding of pregnancy and climate change and opt for a healthy lifestyle and encourage women carry on with their life and not put it on a pause, simply because they are expecting.
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