Mike Hosking: Calm down everyone, it's just a woman having a baby

We've got hopelessly carried away with the concept of a woman having a baby.

I am increasingly embarrassed to be part of the media in this country. The media has lost the plot in the last couple of years.

And I put down to them fact the media is so busy these days trying to produce content, they've lost the meaning of what content actually is.

It's not just stuff. And unfortunately it turns out to be a lot of stuff these days.

And they've certainly lost the plot around the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister having a baby is of note, there is no question, because there are very few prime ministers who have babies while in office. As far as I know there will be two.

So that is of note, there is no question about that.

But we seem to have got hopelessly carried away with the concept of a woman having a baby.

And I talked to Jacinda Ardern about this a number of months ago when it was actually a story, which it isn't now.

And what you're seeing today, and what you will see over the next few days, is just the regurgitation of the same thing we talked about for months on end.

Thus it's become incredibly boring.

So on one hand you've got this business of women can do anything, women are wonderful, women break glass ceilings, women get on and run the world.

All of which I am for.

And so I asked Jacinda Ardern this. Which is it? If women do everything, why are we making a big deal of all this?

She couldn't really answer that because there is no answer to it.

So it's one or the other folks. Either having a baby is a fantastically exciting deal and we should stop in the street, and wave banners, and get carried away.

Or it's not. And if it's not, let's just carry on with life and see it for what it is: which is something that happens every single day, hundreds of thousands of times all around the world.

And acknowledge, individually in this set of circumstances, that it is a little bit unusual that a woman in high office will give birth, and to celebrate that fact.

Most of all, we wish a couple well when they have children. As we've all been wished well when we've had children ourselves. It's something most of us have gone through, most of us will go through, it's not actually news.

The news aspect was a Prime Minister's having a baby. And that got dealt with months ago.

It'll get dealt with a little bit today because it's actually happened.

Beyond that, let's just see this for what it is. And I'm assuming Jacinda Ardern would agree with me.

My fear though is, hence my embarrassment of being part of the media, that that won't be the case. And my suggestion will be tossed in the bin and there will be clickbait galore for months to come.

And that will be a pity.