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Kia ora, welcome!

NB: This website is very out-of-date, but I don’t have the headspace to sort it out at present. I am NOT practicing midwifery anymore.

If you live in the South of the South of Aotearoa, New Zealand and you are planning a pregnancy, think you are pregnant, or you already are pregnant and you’re looking for a midwife, then this page is for you. (Check out “Coverage” on this page.)

The overall purpose of this website is to supplement my information-sharing with clients – women/wāhine – and their families/whānau, and to inform about my midwifery services.

But first…

You’re planning a pregnancy?

Then you may wish to consider optimising care of your bodies (yes, we are talking to prospective Dads here too) before The Big Conception. I am available for consultations to discuss this, although this service is not publicly funded. The Ministry of Health recommend dietary supplements (currently folic acid and iodine) for three months before conception. If you wish to take these, you will need to see your general practitioner (GP) for a pharmacy script, or visit your supplement supplier and ask what they have. Optimal nutrition is ideal, however, so we can discuss foods that support this too. Traditonal wisdoms from cultures the world over, and a growing body of research evidence, suggests that pre-conception health of both parents influences offspring development, sometimes for generations.

While planning to make a baby, it may also be a good idea to get some of the more challenging decisions around pregnancy planning out-of-the-way so that your baby can grow in a lovely, calm, stress-free environment. In addition, I can discuss smoke-free pregnancy, and starting anyone in your household who needs help with becoming smokefree off with a prescription for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and/or cessation referral. You can contact me here.

You’re pregnant? Aaaaah!

Are you hapū, pregnant, late, up the duff, knocked up, or in the family way? If you think you might have a bun in the oven and want a free pregnancy test to be sure, contact me. If you live locally, I can even drop one off to you, or meet you in some out-of-the-way location if you don’t want anyone to get an inkling of your little secret 😉 ! Pregnancy tests are free from midwives.

You don’t need “proof”

Some women already know they are pregnant and don’t need a test to prove it. Signs include: tender nipples, your period stopped (although sometimes it doesn’t), or you feel tired and nauseaus or vomitous…ack. Some people have dreams, or Just Know. Maybe it’s the Dad-to-be who Just Knows!

So, you are looking for a midwife

Not just any midwife. One you like. That might be me. How do you know how to choose a midwife? You might like to have a chat on the phone, or meet me in person. Either way, you may also want to make a list of questions, like the ones on Essential Mums, MAMA or Home Birth Aotearoa to ask a few midwives to find the right one for you. Contact me to get started.

Oh, and Congratulations!

…you’re having a baby! It might be very exciting, terribly scary, or a bit of both. That’s what midwives are for: we’re here to share, care and celebrate with you as you nurture your little one (or two or three) into the world. Whether that journey is straightforward or a little complicated.

So…

whether you are pregnant or not, I’m happy to discuss your options with you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Vivienne