Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Jacoby Poulain: Precious bundle teaches plenty

By by Jacoby Poulain
Hawkes Bay Today·
3 Apr, 2014 09:12 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jacoby Poulain

Jacoby Poulain

I'M BACK from maternity leave and there are no prizes for guessing what the topic of my first column is.
He's five weeks old, 59cm tall, weighs 5.4kg and sports a full head of luscious black hair. His name is Uenuku Tawhirimatea Tawhao Jacob Poulain-Ngatuere.
His name is a bit of a
mouthful but they all mean something special. The meaning of his middle and last names are derived from his tipuna or ancestors and forefathers on his mama and papa's side.
His first name, Uenuku, means rainbow or God's promises.
He is my son, my firstborn, and the apple of my eye. He is the most beautiful baby in the world and I can say that because, as we all know, all mothers have the most beautiful child on the face of the Earth.
Baby Uenuku and his mama have been out a few times and are learning many lessons as we go.
Lesson number one: Baby calls the shots. It doesn't matter how urgent a matter is or how much I'd like to go somewhere, if my little man isn't ready or in the mood, then we're simply not going anywhere.
Lesson number two: After baby, the grandparents call the shots. I'm not allowed baby or anywhere near the vicinity of him until they get their smooches and cuddles in, full stop.
Lesson number three: Once, after baby and the grandparents have given the all clear to go somewhere or do something, then mama better do whatever it is fast. There is no mucking around with a newborn. They're a god-sent answer to the age-old problem of procrastination.
Finally, lesson number four: Mama Bear does sometime get to calls the shots, and needs to.
You know when someone comes to talk to you and they stand too close for comfort and it's all a bit awkward and an invasion of your personal space?
Well, I've learned that little people have personal space requirements, too.
I took baby to an event last week and had him on display, as proud parents do, though also safely tucked away snug and secure behind blankets and covers and the hood of his pram.
Little did I know this safe cocoon-like state was soon to be rudely interrupted. Along came a man who proceeded to jokingly tell me that his sister always gets mad with him.
Of course, politely I asked why. Rather than explain he demonstrated.
Before I knew it, he was roughly shaking my sleeping baby's feet in attempts to wake him up. My poor bubba's whole body flinched a few times in startled reaction.
Mama Bear turned into ninja warrior chopping away hands and jumping between the little guy and his foe.
After having spent considerable time getting my boy cosy and settled, I didn't quite see the funny side as much as this man did and I could see his sister's point of view.
The biggest lesson I've learned thus far though has been that no matter who dictates an outing, how tricky at times it is to get ready, or how much time and effort it takes just to clamber out the door, it's all worth it just to spend time and experiences with my little Rainbow.
To all mummies and daddies, I have a newfound respect, empathy, admiration and appreciation of you and the little blessings you bring into this world.
# Jacoby Poulain is a Hastings District Council Flaxmere Ward councillor and a Hawke's Bay District Health Board member.

Discover more

Jacoby Poulain: Horrors keep life in perspective

09 Apr 02:00 AM

Jacoby Poulain: Praise gives youth natural high

23 Apr 02:00 AM

Jacoby Poulain: Hazy law hampers legal-high fight

30 Apr 02:00 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

'100% a crisis': More than 900 women wait for specialist gynaecology care in Hawke’s Bay

07 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Editorial

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
'100% a crisis': More than 900 women wait for specialist gynaecology care in Hawke’s Bay

'100% a crisis': More than 900 women wait for specialist gynaecology care in Hawke’s Bay

07 Jul 06:00 PM

'Doctors aren’t even referring because they’re like, ‘you’re not going to get seen’.'

Premium
Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

07 Jul 04:10 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP