WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand returned to work on Thursday, six weeks after she gave birth to her first child, saying that she would not pretend she was superhuman or “hide the imperfections” of parenting.

The prime minister has become something of a trailblazer on the gender and parenting front, becoming only the second sitting world leader to give birth while in office (Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan was the first, in 1990). But Ms. Ardern said she was prepared to juggle her dual responsibilities.

“I might be at the odd press conference with a little bit of spill on me,” she told reporters, adding that she and her family would “make it work.” She told Newshub that while it would have been “lovely to have more time” off on parental leave, “these were not normal circumstances.”

Ms. Ardern, 38, has been on parental leave since she delivered her daughter, Neve Gayford, on June 21.