LONDON (Reuters) - New Zealand Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard on Wednesday led a parliamentary session that discussed fuel prices in the country as he was breastfeeding a newly-born lawmaker.
A report published by Reuters that Mallard was breastfeeding the child during one of the sessions of parliament, and that he decided to exercise his role as speaker of parliament while performing some tasks babysitting.
Although Mallard was breastfeeding the baby Titanic (six weeks), he was the son of Waiariki MP Tamati Kofi, who had finished paternity leave and returned to parliament.
The report quoted Malard as saying he was trying to help care for the children of lawmakers when possible.
The newborn joins many other children at the legislature's headquarters, after Mallard in 2017 relaxed the rules to make parliament a more child-friendly environment.
The report notes that about a dozen women MPs gave birth to a job, and that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was the first woman prime minister on maternity leave last year and the second elected leader in the world to give birth during her tenure.