Heather du Plessis-Allan: Brace yourself for an avalanche of Jacinda Ardern baby news

As wonderful as this birth is for Jacinda, Clarke and New Zealand's working women, I'm not looking forward to the media coverage.

The interest is understandable. This is a huge historical moment. Jacinda Ardern is only the second woman to give birth while running a country, the first New Zealand Prime Minister to do so, and now a champion for all career women.

But, the coverage of the baby is almost certainly going to go overboard.

It starts with the royalish photograph of mum, dad and bub outside Auckland Hospital. It's mostly a pointless photo anyway. The baby's so wrapped up you can hardly see what it looks like. Which isn't a major disappointment, because newborns mostly look less like their parents and more like big uncooked yams.

Then we'll get magazine spreads, paparazzi shots of the parents trying to simultaneously manage a muffin and a crying baby at the local café, and 'exclusives' about a distant relation spotted in a store buying a clothing for the First Baby. Cue a rush on that outfit. The ensuing sales spike of that item will probably generate a news story too.

Which world leader sent what gift? Did the leader of the Opposition congratulate the parents sincerely enough? How is the breastfeeding going? There's no end to the baby story possibilities.

Of course, some people will devour all the coverage. We all will to varying degrees. The sheer volume, though, will become overwhelming.

And not just overwhelming for those of us reading the news, but for the family at the centre of it.

Remember, there is not just national interest in this baby, but international interest too.

More important than our curiosity, is the privacy of the Ardern-Gayford family. So, please, be picky with what media you consume. If it breaches their privacy, don't click on it. There'll be more than enough other baby coverage to enjoy.