''I'm privileged. I'm very, very lucky,'' Ms Ardern said yesterday.
''I have a partner who can be there alongside me, who's taking up a huge part of that joint responsibility because he's a parent, too. He's not a babysitter,'' she said.
''I also have the ability to have [Neve] with me [at work] so that means that I'm privileged and I'm lucky. A lot of women don't have that choice.''
Ms Ardern yesterday took up the reins of leadership again, six weeks after handing over the country to Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, as she took maternity leave.
''Certainly over the six-week period I stepped back, but I didn't relinquish that sense of responsibility.
''But at the same time I certainly did have a little bubble here for a time and I had every faith that the acting Prime Minister would do a brilliant job, and he has.
''But in the back of my mind, of course, was my return and I was looking forward to being back, but I know that being back will be different.
''At a personal level it's just the day to day. I'm a mum that needs to meet all of the responsibilities that come with being a mum, making sure that Neve has the basics, that she's fed, that she's loved, that she sleeps as much as we're able to get her to sleep and we will do that together. That's a practical reality of my new role.''
Ms Ardern said so far parenthood had been fantastic.
''All of the things that people said that I would experience - that idea that you suddenly have this new person in your life that you could love so much and that time will go incredibly quickly, but that the nights will seem incredibly long - all of that has been true, but it has been wonderful.''
Ms Ardern will fly to Wellington tomorrow to set up in the Prime Minister's residence near the Beehive, with her partner, Clarke Gayford, and Neve.
''I might be at the odd press conference with a little bit of spill on me because I'm not going to hide the imperfections of parenting. I don't think anyone needs that.''
Speaker Trevor Mallard has laid down strict rules to media on taking photographs or filming Neve.
He said any filming or taking photos of Neve, even if inadvertent, could result in photographers being stripped of their right to be at Parliament.
Mr Mallard is keen to make Parliament more family-friendly and has been snapped with the children of other MPs in posed photos.
There are seven MPs with babies: Labour's Ardern, Kiri Allen, Willow-Jean Prime and Kris Faafoi and National leader Simon Bridges and MPs Tim van der Molen and Chris Penk. Two more are expecting to become parents soon - Labour's Chris Hipkins and Green MP Julie-Anne Genter.
Ms Prime, whose daughter Heeni has been a familiar sight around Parliament, said she had never objected to her baby being filmed or photographed there.
''The general approach is that they've usually come to me to ask me if that's appropriate and if that's OK. It's really an individual choice for each parent, I think.''
-By Chris Bramwell
