A New Zealand Official Biked To The Hospital To Give Birth & Instagrammed It All

Few women would think of using their last few minutes of free time before childbirth to get in a good cardio workout, but that's exactly what Anne Genter did. The New Zealand minister revealed she'd biked to the hospital in Auckland at 42 weeks pregnant to give birth because "there wasn't enough room in the car."

"Beautiful Sunday morning for a bike ride, to the hospital, for an induction to finally have this baby," Genter, who has served as New Zealand's minister for women since October 2017, wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her posing with her bicycle. Genter also shared a picture of her zipping down the street on the bike, her pregnant belly peeking out from under her coat. "This is it, wish us luck!"

Genter was scheduled to be induced Sunday morning at Auckland City hospital, according to the Guardian.

Genter explained in her Instagram post that "my partner and I cycled because there wasn't enough room in the car for the support crew." But while the idea of cycling before giving birth might sound daunting and tiresome, Genter said it turned out to have at least one major benefit.

"It also put me in the best possible mood!" she wrote on Instagram.

In a comment on her Instagram post, Genter noted that her bicycle was "an e-bike," meaning she got a little help from its integrated electric motor. She also said the route to the hospital was "mostly downhill," but noted she "probably should have cycled more in the last few weeks to get the labour going!"

Genter, who is a member of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, also serves as one of New Zealand's two associate transport ministers. Throughout her time in office she has been an outspoken supporter of bicycling as a means of transportation, The Guardian reported.

Genter even included an ode to cycling in her pregnancy announcement back in February, according to ABC News. "Peter and I have some amazing news!" she wrote on Facebook. "We're going to have to get an additional seat for the bikes — in the first week of August we're expecting our first child. 2018 is going to be an even bigger adventure!"

New Zealand's Green Party, which, according to the New York Times, often focuses its policies related to environmental advocacy, hailed Genter's pedal powered trip to the hospital as "the most #onbrand thing ever" in a tweet posted Sunday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also recently gave birth while in office, becoming only the second sitting world leader to do so. She welcomed a baby girl in June and returned to work earlier this month after taking six weeks of parental leave, according to CBS News. Ardern's partner, Clarke Gayford, has reportedly taken on the role of stay-at-home dad.

According to the New York Times, Genter said that she plans to take three months of parental leave and return to her work in New Zealand's Parliament in November.