Annemarie Quill talks to expectant mum Natalie Bridges about the excitement of her pregnancy, from strange food cravings to planning the nursery.
Natalie Bridges, 28-year-old wife of Tauranga MP Simon Bridges, was relieved to make the announcement yesterday about her pregnancy. The couple made the announcement at 7am yesterday on Simon's Facebook page.
"I am happy to finally be able to talk about it. I am 13 weeks now and have known since about four weeks so it has been hard to keep a secret."
Natalie said she followed the tradition of waiting until three months on the advice of her midwife, Tauranga midwife Sue Douglas, but had told her family and close friends straight away.
Natalie said they had not been actively trying for a baby.
"It was a huge surprise, but we are thrilled. Now it just seems like it was the best thing that has happened, like it was meant to be."
Natalie had a trip to visit family in the UK planned just after she found out she was pregnant.
"For my parents it is their first grandchild so naturally they are over the moon.
"For Simon's parents, it is their 16th grandchild and Simon is the last of his five siblings to have a baby. So I think with them it is more relief. I think his dad's words were - 'it is about time'."
Although Natalie and Simon just celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary in July, Natalie said they had made a decision not to have children straight away.
"I met Simon when I was 21 at Oxford University in the UK. We were both studying post-graduate degrees there and we married when I was 22. Simon has been busy in his career and I was just started out.
"I think it is a big dilemma for a woman nowadays to decide when is the best time to have a child, and that whole issue of balancing career and family."
Natalie is a former editor of Simply You fashion magazine and is now group account director at Village PR in Mount Maunganui.
"Like many women, my career is a big part of who I am. I love what I do. I am going to continue working right up to the birth. I will probably go back as soon as three months. I am already thinking about that whole juggle that women do - I think it should be made easier for women to work and have families."
Natalie is already planning childcare options.
"I would love to bring my mother out to New Zealand but I have a younger sister in the UK so it wouldn't be fair. The plan is to start convincing Simon's mum Ruth to move to their house in the Mount and look after baby Bridges maybe two days a week."
Natalie said she was coping well with her pregnancy though had been suffering not from morning sickness, but evening sickness. She had also experienced some strange food cravings. Could this be Simon's influence in her body?
"The other day I ate McDonald's twice in one day - but am put off that now. The next day I had five apples. I am also going through a spell of eating porridge for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
She said it was confusing knowing what to eat.
"I've actually got a recent article from the Bay of Plenty Times Weekendpinned on my fridge about what not to eat."
Natalie said she was dying to find out the gender of the baby.
"I did ask the lady who did the 12-week scan to have a look. Let's just say we kind of know but I have promised Simon not to say until the 20 week anatomy scan. As soon as I know for sure I will let you know."
As well as midwife Sue, Natalie will probably have an obstetrician too.
"For me coming from the UK I am comfortable with having a baby in hospital and will definitely have it in Tauranga Hospital.
"I am not really thinking about a birthing plan as you can't plan a birth. I do think that the idea of birth centres are great if there was funding for it and I am all for woman having choices."
One thing she can plan is the nursery.
"Simon has given me strict warnings not to get carried away with any major house plans," Natalie laughed.
There has already been much discussion about names with Simon preferring more conservative names whereas Natalie likes more original names.
"We have discussed names but keep coming up with girls' names and not so much on the boys' names. We do want to have something with a family connection. I don't think we will be doing a real 'out there' name."
Natalie already has a little bump and has grown out of some of her clothes. She won't be buying lots of maternity clothes but will adapt other clothes.
"I am not going to let my sense of style slip because I am pregnant. I won't be wearing smocks. I like fitted clothes. Being pregnant doesn't mean you can't show off your body shape."
For preggie style tips, Natalie has turned to her old friend and former colleague Paula Ryan, who founded Simply You magazine and is a former editor of Fashion Quarterly.
"Paula is my style guru. But she is also a very special person in my life that really helped me into womanhood when I worked at Simply You."
Ryan told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend: "Natalie moved through the publishing ranks with us on Simply You and has become a friend. She turns heads when she enters a room - she has charisma because she is so positive and it shows."
Paula said she had sent Natalie a couple of outfits - a lightweight cotton shirt jacket and lengthy shirts that tie under the bust. Natalie is mindful of the fact she will be heavily pregnant through the hot summer months. Paula advised her to wear flowing dresses and empire styles: "Avoid prints. Go for plain colours and put fun and colour into shoes and accessories."
Natalie was unsure how many children the couple would eventually have. "As Simon is one of six there is an expectation that we will have a similar brood. I like the idea of having them close together but I guess it is too early to think about that now."