Christina from Kelson, who birthed Paige at the Birth Centre

The idea of birthing at the hospital gave me major anxiety and being my first pregnancy I didn’t feel comfortable having a home birth so birthing at the Birth Centre felt like the most natural choice from very early on. Leading up to my birth we found out that the birthing centre was closing over Christmas which was right around when I was due, this gave me major anxiety about the thought of having to birth at the hospital. While we were doing a group tour of the birthing centre they asked us when we were due, and one women was almost brought to tears as she was due around the closure period and she had had a traumatic birth experience previously. She said there was absolutely no way she could step foot in the hospital to birth again. Thankfully for me I went into labour before the Christmas closure and I had a beautiful intervention free birth at Te Awakairangi. Our birth experience felt so calm, and that all our requests were honoured and we couldn’t have asked for a better birth experience.

The after care was wonderful and it was amazing as a first time Mum to be able to call the midwives in for support whenever I needed as I was learning to latch/breastfeed our daughter. Nothing felt like a bother and they were so amazing at supporting us into our parenting journey. If it wasn’t for the support from the midwives at Te Awakairangi I don’t know if we would of had such a smooth pain free breastfeeding journey, so thank you!

The idea of Te Awakairangi closing actually fills me with fear of another pregnancy and what that birth experience might bring/the possible outcome. If I had the choice I would bring another baby into the word at Te Awakairangi where we had exceptional care and I was able to have the perfect, intervention free, holistic birth I had always wished for.

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Women’s birth experiences good or bad stay with them forever so the thought of the choice being taken away from women as to where they birth is heartbreaking.