She considered a third attempt in London but said she and husband Stephen Bradley were delighted to scrap those plans when she became pregnant late last year.
"We were trying for a family because I was beginning to get concerned about my age," said Warriner, 41.
"We decided we'd go for whatever came first, the Olympics or a baby.
"I was rapt when I discovered I was expecting and I kept training throughout my pregnancy with the goal of returning to racing."
Warriner said her training techniques came in handy when she went into labour.
"I knew Lola-Rose was coming on Saturday and she kept me up that night, which was okay because it meant I got to watch the men's road race.
"Whenever I felt a twinge I would get up and start walking around the room pretty quickly until the pain went away. It was the same in the delivery room.
"I must have done the equivalent of a marathon by the time she was born."
Lola-Rose arrived on Sunday.
Warriner revealed she named her daughter partly in tribute to her track idol, former South African middle-distance star Zola Budd.
"When I was a youngster I used to be at the same athletics club as Zola in England, and I thought Lola was a close enough name."
Warriner, who co-runs a triathlete coaching business with Bradley called Sweat 7 in Northland, added she is delighted to be able to cheer on the New Zealand team from her Whangarei living room.
"The nightly breast feeds means I will be able to watch a lot of the action I would otherwise have missed," said Warriner.
