Heather Hames Midwife

Happy new year to everyone
May 2024 be filled with joy and happiness.
My first baby for the new year arrived at 9 minutes past midnight - what an amazing way to greet the new year!

We had a lovely Christmas morning tea for all our families from the last 12 months today.
So lovely to catch up with those that could make it. Thank you so much for taking the time to come and see us

How precious is our maternity system - I feel privileged to work here in NZ. However it isn't a perfect system and is unfortunately under resourced and under threat.

This is a huge shift to the way we manage mastitis..good info to have

Mastitis happens to about 15% of māmā who give birth. Here are the new recommendations for managing breast inflammation and mastitis while breastfeeding.

We used to recommend heat and massage, but that is no longer advisable.

Save a copy of this in case you need it. Kia kaha.

This is a good read for those of you planning on breastfeeding

6 Ways to Make Breastfeeding Easier BEFORE You Have Your Baby By preparing for breastfeeding you give yourself a much better chance of beating the ‘booby traps’ and getting through the early days more easily.

This is worth thinking about..

The ✨REST AND DIGEST✨ period is a key principle of The Thompson Method for Breastfeeding and is highly effective in the slowing and calming of the baby's digestive system and in reducing the risk of reflux and colic.

Laying your baby comfortably on your knee, allows time for the milk from the first breast to be pre-digested and transferred from the stomach to the intestine, before completing the feed on the second breast

While resting, you'll observe your baby stretching out to aid in the digestive process before demonstrating cues of readiness to complete the feed on the second breast

This is also a good time for a nappy change to prevent disturbing the satisfied baby from drifting into peaceful sleep

Why not try this simple yet effective technique the next time you breastfeed your baby?

For some New Zealanders, the cost of mobile data can be a barrier to accessing essential health & wellbeing information and digital health services.

Zero Data (www.zero.govt.nz) removes this barrier by providing free access to key health sector websites for anyone using the Spark, Skinny, One NZ, 2degrees, Warehouse Mobile, Slingshot or Orcon mobile networks.

All mobile data charges for content accessed through this portal are automatically charged back to Te Whatu Ora.

Websites available via www.zero.govt.nz include ACC, Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand, Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority, Need to talk?, Unite against COVID-19, Manatū Hauora - Ministry of Health and many more.

Learning about shared sleep and ways to minimise risk should be part of every new parent’s education. Here’s a graphic to help with some basics ❤️✨

EDITED TO ADD: to all who have come to fearmonger and spread your anti-cosleeping sentiment, thanks for the added traction and reach. As was stated the last time you all appeared here, we will continue to advocate for a risk minimisation approach to safer shared sleep because this is what the evidence base tells us serves families and realities and improves safety in sleep environments. You can keep crusading your cause, you can keep shouting and terrifying people into not even knowing how to reduce risk and we will keep on doing what we know is needed.
Just so we are all clear, you won't scare us into silence, but you can bet your bottom dollar we will keep your scare tactics and takedowns off of our page.
But keep that traction and spread going ... we appreciate your assistance with that 🥰

Did you see it?

She Moves and Waterford Birth Centre have partnered up to deliver Waikato mumma's pre/postnatal fitness seminars! 🫶

Most people know that exercise during pregnancy is recommended, however, it can be pretty overwhelming and there is a lot of conflicting information out there. What should I do? What’s safe for me and my baby and what’s not? How much should I be doing and how hard should I be working? 🤷‍♀️

Join Ren & Jen award winning pre/postpartum fitness trainers for the first seminar on Monday 17th of April!

Where: Seminar will be held at Waterford Birth Centre - 27 Tisdall Terrace, Hamilton
When: 6.30pm | Monday 17th April
Cost: $120 for the 2 hour seminar + bonus materials to take away

If you live in Hamilton or surrounding areas and you are an expecting mum then you’ll want to grab your spot fast! Spots are limited to 20 and selling fast!

Get all the info here bit.ly/40jHqpG and if you have any questions please just email [email protected] 💞

True....

I see you, tired parent.  This is tough, right?  There is so much to parenting, so many new things to learn and practice and figure out.  You’re learning so much, every single day, about parenting and about your little one.  

You’re soaking in information from so many sources, eager to do the best thing, the right thing.  You have a sea of words and advice constantly swirling in your head, conflicting pieces of information crashing into each other and making so much noise.

It’s so loud, in this parenting space.  It’s so loud that often you can’t hear yourself think.  You can’t hear that little voice that you’ve trusted all those years - that little voice that is your intuition.  It’s getting crowded out, drowned out, by all the other voices.

Your baby is so new and so small.  Sometimes, you can’t believe that people just let you take them home and begin parenting them, when you feel like you’re making it up as you go along.  You feel like you only just start to figure out who your baby is, and then they change something up on you, and are totally different again.  

Basic life skills are challenging.  Feeding your baby is more complicated than you thought it could be.  They don’t sleep.  You don’t sleep.  You’re not sure what they’re telling you, a lot of the time, but it sounds mad or sad.  

This. Is. Hard.

This feels hard because it is hard.  It is really bloody hard.  Figuring out how to parent is one of the steepest learning curves you will ever face - and a lot of that is because you care about getting it right, more than you have cared about anything ever before.  Babies and children are wonderful, confusing, incredible, exasperating tiny humans - and being in relationship with a mini version of yourself is complex!  You’re learning to parent, and you’re learning about your baby, and they’re learning about you, all at once.  And you’ll figure each other out.  You’ll start to hear that tiny voice of your intuition again.  But a lot of that starts with trust.  Trust that you’ll be okay.  Trust that the tiny voice of your intuition is the best one to listen to.  And trust that this feels hard because it is hard - not because you’re getting it wrong.

The specific injuries that ACC will cover for birthing parents from 1st October, 2022 are below:
👉Anterior wall prolapse, posterior wall prolapse, or uterine prolapse
👉Coccyx fracture or dislocation
👉Levator avulsion
👉Obstetric a**l sphincter injury tears or tears to the perineum, l***a, va**na, v***a, cl****is, cervix, re**um, a**s, or urethra
👉Obstetric fistula (including vesicova**nal, colova**nal, and ureterova**nal)
👉Obstetric haematoma of pelvis
👉Post-partum uterine inversion
👉Pubic ramus fracture
👉Pudendal neuropathy
👉Ruptured uterus during labour
👉Symphysis p***s capsule or ligament tear

Most of the mentioned injuries can be lodged by your pelvic physiotherapist.

Get in touch now to book in for postnatal check.
You can also book online at pelvicphysiotherapy.co.nz

For this interested an opportunity to find out more

Hypnobirthing information evenings
@ Te Awamutu Birthing.
Every 3rd Thursday of the month 7 - 8.30pm
RSVP Lliwen via email http://www.hypnobirthingcoach.com
Ph 0273738144
Instagram: lliwen_hypnobirthing_coach

Cure Kids Sleep On Side Campaign - #SleepOnSide 'Sleep on Side; Stillbirth Prevention Campaign' is rolling out nationwide and advises expectant mums to sleep on their side from 28 weeks of pregnancy.Lying ...

“I’m never tired of you” 💜
Picture credit: MilkyMakers

Merry Christmas to all my clients - past and present. Have a lovely time with your whanau and keep save

When you’re pregnant there can be so many decisions to make 🧐

It can be hard to know what you need to know to make the right choice for you and your whānau.

Try using the B R A I N decision making tool when you’re offered…

💉A test, like a glucose tolerance for diabetes

👶🏻 An investigation, like growth scans

🏥 A procedure, like an induction of labour or caesarean

… Or any other decision you need to make during your pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond

Do you know about the Sleep on you Side campaign?

Research shows that going to sleep on your side from 28 weeks of pregnancy halves your risk of stillbirth compared with going to sleep on your back

Learn more at www.sleeponside.org.nz

Interesting...

How to soothe your crying baby, according to science Science has perfected the answer to calming your crying baby. Here's the magic numbers you need to know.