Birthworks Midwifery Service

This is our friend Jade, paramedic and sewer extraordinaire!

If you're looking for locally made wet bags, bibs, clothes, reusable maternity pads & breast pads and so much more then check her out!

https://www.facebook.com/harperandihandmade

Harper and I Handmade "Grow with me" kids clothing, custom reusable products and organic tallow balm handmade in NZ.

Hi guys,

It's high time we had a break from our personal Facebook accounts and as this is linked, it gets deactivated too. For any Tui Balm orders and birth pool hireage please find us on messenger under Birthworks Midwifery Service or Jessica Evans.

Take care x

***Do you need a birth pool for your birth?***

We have two pool sets available for hire for either hospital or home birth. The set includes:

Birth Pool in a Box Professional birth pool
Electric pump
Pool liner
Clean filling hose and multiple tap fittings to suit different taps/shower hoses
Hose & pump for emptying pool
Set up/take down instruction sheet

Delivery & collection included in rental price (outside Wellington/Hutt Valley charges will apply)
$250 for the duration of hire

Pool will be provided to you at 38 weeks pregnant and collected after birth or at 42 weeks, whichever comes first. If you require the pool past 42 weeks, just let us know.

Happy water birthing ❤️

We are also selling Tui Balms cheaper than retail so check out Tui Balms with Jess on Facebook and get stocked up before your wee one arrives 🤰🤱

Jess & Kelly 🥰

BirthEd, another institution in the Hutt Valley has fallen victim of the Hutt Valley District Health Board.

In recent weeks their funding has been cut by 75% of what they have been previously operating on for 17 years.

BirthEd was founded in 2004 by birth educator Sarah Ashill and LMC midwife Bridget Kerkin. Nicky Jackson RM joined not long after. Over 17 years, BirthEd has employed 59 childbirth educators, administrators, counsellors and lactation consultants – incredible!
Over 12,000 women and whanau have received antenatal education through BirthEd across two DHB’s (Hutt & CCDHB). BirthEd has provided general education classes, youth (young mums under 25), Maori (M.A.K.E), breastfeeding, child safety, breastfeeding, life with a newborn and homebirth classes.

The new contract that we are aware of is $115,000 per year to support kaupapa Maori solutions and $50,000 per year to support Pasifika solutions.
This leaves only $35,000 per year for general education. This is not enough to support the mainstream population when BirthEd previously ran on $105,000 and still incorporated Maori and Pasifika education. In the spirit of equity, increasing funding for Kaupapa Maori and Pasifika education is a need and something that needed urgent remedy, but robbing Peter to pay Paul is not OK, which is essentially what they have done with this new funding arrangement.

In 2019, BirthEd asked for an increase in funding as in 17 years they had only had an increase of $6,000. They were told to shorten their waitlists, get more women through the door and prove their worth. BirthEd spent $10,000 restructuring their courses, condensing them, creating new teaching material, enrolling more women and after 18 months went back to the DHB to say that they managed to teach an extra 271 more women within that financial year and had met the DHB directive, ...but then they had their contract terminated and was put up for tender.

The DHB had 18 months of extra antenatal education provided for free. Thieves!

Within this time, the DHB made variations to the contract and expected that BirthEd would collect and collate information and give increased reporting, that was not in the contract and they were not paid for.

This is appalling!

In the last year (referring to 2019) there were 1632 births registered within the DHB. 1187 of those women had registered for a BirthEd antenatal course.

Our concerns are:

How will women access funded antenatal care in the future?

What provisions are in place to meet the shortfall of BirthEd closing and a new education provider starting?

What provisions are in place for our young families who previously accessed the “under 25s” classes:

Who will facilitate the Kaupapa Maori (M.A.K.E)? course

Will the baby safety, life with a newborn, breastfeeding, and homebirth classes still be available?

Will the private antenatal education providers be able to sustain the influx of women – 1200 each year when they only look after a few hundred? Assuming that women can pay $220 for a private education provider.

We as midwives, are concerned about the DHB’s pathway and ask for transparency and community consultation about what consumers want/need and urge that the money follow that women in all aspects of her maternity journey.

Yesterday we had a birth - the last baby to be born at Te Awakairangi before it closed.

While it was an amazing birth full of Tikanga Māori and something to be celebrated and an incredible privilege for us to be a part of, it left us with a sense of finality. A feeling we did not want.

The feelings are profound. It signaled a loss of choice for Midwives about how and where they practice, and worse - a loss of choice for women over how and where they birth their babies.

This morning we attended the closing ceremony and it was certainly nothing to be celebrated. The devastation visualized and voiced left us desolate.

Please continue to write to the Hutt DHB, MOH, Minister of Health Andrew Little and Prime Minister Jacinda Adern. Keep sharing your stories and supporting the amazing groups who are fighting for change - Hutt Families for Midwives, Hutt Maternity Action Trust, Lower Hutt Parentcentre and Mothers Matter.

Hang in there and take care ❤

This is just another post that really says nothing. What is still being ignored is the fact that not many points raised in the external review have been corrected or implemented and that the DHB has failed for years to provide a safe, primary birthing space. Just because there has never been one does not mean that it is ok. The fact that the DHB is operating on a deficit budget is no one's fault but their own and had they appropriately used maternity funding from the MOH in maternity where it should have been, then maybe things wouldn't be so bad. Using these excuses to justify not funding a purpose built primary birthing unit gifted to the Hutt because the Wright Family Foundation saw a need, is not meeting their obligations to the public.

Yes the DHB have a responsibility to the public to ensure their facilities are meeting the needs of the public but the simple fact is that they don't.

Whether Te Awakairangi is a private entity or not is irrelevant. When a women chooses to birth outside of the hospital in a primary setting, then the money allocated to her place of birth to cover her costs, should follow her. If the DHB has such an issue with this then they should be meeting their obligations as per the service specifications and providing the facility.

For everyone saying that only 600 women in 3 years birthed at TABC so it's not a viable option - that's 600 women who did not have to go through the hospital during strikes, staff shortages, code reds, equipment shortages and bed shortages. It reduced the pressure in these areas. Can you imagine how bad it would have been adding these 600 women to this?

I know it seems very simple from the outset for those supporting the DHB with this stance, but for those of us providing the care and clients receiving the care, we see it all and it's not ok.

Level 2 Maternity unit in Hutt Hospital is a secondary facility. There is nothing primary about it. It does not support true, holistic, positive outcomes simply by the environment.

The mindset of the DHB needs to change. We won't say any more on this matter now because all of the evidence and research has been presented, the responsibility and obligations of the DHB have been clearly pointed out, but there is an obvious general misunderstanding of what primary vs secondary birthing is. That is the big issue.

A couple of weeks ago, prior to lock down, an elderly man came into the birthing unit while we were there and he wanted to donate his last $5,000 in the hopes of keeping the unit open. He was in tears talking about how he was born in Elderslea Maternity Home under the care of midwives.

If this man in his old age can understand the importance of primary care then why can't everyone else? Maybe it's a knowing? Maybe it's a reverting back to the beginning of life? Maybe in his exit, he's thinking about the entry? Maybe he knows what the DHB does not? Maybe we should listen to him?

🤔💙

To Fionnagh Dougan CE of HVDHB and CCDHB, Hutt Valley District Health Board (excluding Prue Lamason & Richard Stein) and The Executive Leadership Team. Might as well chuck Ginny Andersen MP and Chris Bishop in here too as they have achieved nothing and their governments are both accountable for the state of maternity services across Aotearoa New Zealand.

SHAME ON YOU!

It is hard to believe that a multi million dollar purpose built facility that meets the needs of our community, that was gifted to our region, would not meet your definition of being essential and worthy of funding. This was an opportunity to save the DHB money by utilising an already existing facility and listen to the overwhelming voice of our community.

Where is the DHB primary maternity space that you talk of needing to use the funds for?

If you believe that there is anything “primary” about the maternity unit on level 2 in Hutt Hospital then you are either seriously misinformed or just ignorant. One would have hoped that you had done your research into statistics and outcomes and been following the many social media pages and news articles prior to making your decision. So you must just be ignorant.

Research shows that hospital birth costs more money than birth outside of the hospital. Women are more likely to need intervention at a further cost and increase their risk of a lesser than ideal outcome. It is alarming that you will wilfully ignore this research by claiming that you need to retain ALL of the primary maternity money to meet the needs of the population. How have you met the needs of the over 600 women who have birthed at Te Awakairangi? You haven’t. But you sure got paid for it!

During level 4 lockdown, we attended a first time mum birthing at Te Awakairangi. This woman has NEVER stepped foot in a hospital her entire life. Are you saying that her first experience in a hospital should have been to give birth? What a bizarre notion. Why would she? She is obviously an incredibly well woman and had a beautiful birth in a place that she CHOOSE and felt safe and confident. Why would she choose to put herself at risk by coming to a place she didn’t need to be?

Your maternity service cannot cope with an extra 200 or more women coming through your doors. Your unit is woefully understaffed, in orange and code red multiple times a month often, does not have enough beds in labour suite nor postnatal ward, is short of equipment, and highly medicalised, not only in practice but in environment.

Our group has left practice partly because we cannot stand by and watch our clients be forced into birthing within the hospital. We have had more enquiries than normal about women looking for a homebirth option whereas they wouldn’t have considered this while Te Awakairangi was open. We are homebirth midwives who support well informed women wanting this option but women choosing it because they feel coerced by having options taken away, in order to avoid the hospital, is not safe for women or the midwives providing the care.

We hope you take heed of this and reconsider your position.

We ❤ this Chloe! Thank you.

Perhaps a "flash" mob on parliament grounds and down at the Hutt DHB to remind them where they sprung, might get their attention 😜

In recognition of Birthworks Midwifery Service
- A letter from Chloe Wright ❤️

"To the midwives of Birthworks Midwifery Service and all the awesome midwives of Aotearoa New Zealand who hold our mothers - a massive thank you for your strength, your compassion and your tenacity.

You may not be valued as you so richly deserve by those who make the decisions about the worth of a mother, but you must know that you are highly valued, needed, by those of us who are mothers.

We are far greater in number than transient bureaucrats. They come and go, like the wind they blow hot and cold, then they leave us.

Once a mother, always a mother.
Once a midwife, always a midwife.

As you have supported us during the most vulnerable times of our lives, we mothers must stand together and support you in this crisis of neglect.

Who are these people, these puppeteers? These people who hide in dark corners, justifying the dismissal of a woman’s basic human rights, spouting future promises, waiting for our midwives to fall one by one.

As mothers, as midwives, we can take inspiration from Dame Whina Cooper who lifted her skirt to demonstrate from where we all sprung.

We too can lift our skirts to the politicians, the bureaucrats to remind them from where they came.
Take heart, it is now up to us the people to create the change. Join us."

Chloe Wright ❤️
Founder TABC, Nga Hau, TPBC, BBC Birthing Centres
Founder Mothers Matter

Hi Ginny,

It appears we can't message you from our Birthworks page for some reason but just wanted to touch base as to why we have not had contact from you for weeks after you so urgently needed to speak to us about Birthworks closure before you did a media announcement?

We poured our heart and soul into that conversation with you that left us in tears but have heard nothing back from you. We also saw no media announcement so are assuming you were just gathering info to pass to the highers up.

You're lucky covid re-emerged when it did, because it meant you and your government could ignore us further while focusing on something else. There's no doubt covid needed focusing on by the way. But it's allowed you to get away with another slight on the public by allowing Te Awakairangi to close. Babies have not stopped being born during covid. Our group has attended 6 births during level 4. Four of those were at Te Awakairangi. Only 1 in the hospital (due to medical issues) and 1 at home. How's that for stats Fionnagh Dougan CEO Hutt Hospital? (90% of women choose to birth in the hospital. Pffft. Lies).

When is your government going to wake up and prioritize babies and mothers wellbeing? The health outcomes from the LMC model of care and women having the option to birth in a primary setting are well researched and documented. What is it going to take Ginny? The whole system to collapse before Government take notice?

We are sick and tired of saying the same thing over and over! No one is listening to the midwives and the women on the ground doing this day in and day out. How is your government addressing this urgent issue? What is the contingency plan? Ya'll so shortsighted that you can't even see it coming even though it's smacking you in the face.

We will not stand by and allow this to happen to midwives and women. This is it Ginny!

Ugh. With the news confirmed this morning that Te Awakairangi is closing on the 23rd September, we are left feeling fully deflated. This decision has been another kick in the guts for us midwives at the coal face taking care of mums and babies. But it’s the final kick. This is the one that has caused major haemorrhaging. And everyone has run out of syntocinon.

Over our careers we have been able to be fulfilled by working with women, babies and their whanau and seeing the amazing life changing experience that they go through. However that doesn’t and cant’ sustain us. Years of perpetual sleep deprivation, stress, poor pay, being ignored by DHB’s and Governments, working within a very understaffed, under resourced maternity unit, watching our core midwife sisters fight to do their job each day, EVERYONE other than midwives telling you they know more about your job than you and now the taking away of a very much needed and loved primary birthing unit.

The rhetoric we hear a lot is “Well you knew what you were in for before you started this job”. Really? Really?? No, it was not this bad when we started. It wasn’t great but it has gained momentum as the years have gone on. Just because we choose to this very much needed job, does that mean we should do it in unsafe conditions and for less than minimum wage? And if we don’t do it, who will? It won’t be the GP’s – who by the way, we DID NOT push out of practice. I know us midwives are quite magical but not that powerful. GP’s stopped doing obstetrics because the funding model changed and it was no longer viable while they had their busy GP practices to run. Yes, when midwives gained autonomy in NZ and were able to work autonomously as LMC (Lead Maternity Carers), the government changed the funding and it dropped. That why GP’s left. Women had also spoken with their voices and their feet and demanded a women led continuity of care service. WE WERE WANTED.

On that note of funding – we find it incredibly hard to believe that people still without logic, think that if we involve a doctor in the care of our women that we lose money. And so we are less likely to ask for assistance and would deny caesarean sections for some financial benefit to us . With a bit of critical analysis, I’m sure a lot of people would know that this doesn’t sound right. But you only need to look at the comments section on NZ Herald and Stuff to see this said time and time again. We are saying it for the last time – WE DO NOT LOSE MONEY FOR INVOLVING A DOCTOR IN OUR CLIENT’S CARE. To understand the funding model, midwives are paid via section 88 for primary care and obstetricians, paediatricians etc receive funding for secondary care. Two separate pathways.

The need we feel to protect our profession is huge. While we are talking about social media comments, we can say that it is disheartening to say the least and the comments reflect this. There is a massive lack of understanding about midwives and what we do. For a very old profession, we understand that the LMC model of care is relatively new in NZ (30 years) but has been proven time and time again with research not only from NZ but around the world that we have a gold standard midwifery education programme and a midwifery led maternity service that is envied around the world. Research shows that women and their babies have better outcomes under midwifery led care. Health outcomes have improved in the time that midwives became lead maternity carers. Our 4 year degree specialises in midwifery. There is no need to be a nurse first and learn about nursing across many many different areas that have nothing to do with Midwifery. The basic nursing principles are taught in the first year of the midwifery degree before it goes on to specialise.

One of the major differences between nurses and midwives, is philosophy. Nursing follows a medical model because they are primarily dealing with sick and injured patients, while midwives are dealing with normally well and healthy pregnant people. In saying that, pregnant women and their babies will have complications sometimes but the midwifery degree prepares and trains you to deal with those specific maternity related conditions. Nursing is a 3 year degree and midwifery is 4 years to account for the speciality. Midwives work autonomously, diagnose, treat and prescribe. Features that nurses do not have. This is not an US and THEM with our nurses, because we all work closely together for better outcomes for the public and we could not do without them in our caesarean section theatres and SCBU/NICU wards. It is prudent to point out the differences between our professions to those that say we are under educated just because we weren’t nurses first. It’s kind of like saying electricians and plumbers should have done each others training first to fully understand and be educated enough in their trade. Ludicrous right?

Legislation – all pregnant women in Aotearoa New Zealand should have access to home birth, primary birth facilities and secondary care facilities within our DHB. The Hutt Valley DHB receives funding for primary care but does not pass that on to the woman’s choice of birth space, nor do they provide a space away from the busy secondary unit. Maternity care is not ring fenced so we do not know how maternity money is used by the DHB. Te Awakairangi was purpose built to meet the needs of the Hutt Valley by a charitable trust – The Wright Family Foundation. It is a multi million dollar facility that the DHB has not had to fund even though they should have. Over 600 women have birthed here in 3 years and many hundreds more have started their labour journey here or spent some time postnatally. The DHB has received money for all of these women even though they may have never stepped foot in the DHB, essentially saving the DHB money. Where did that money go?

Te Awakairangi was built by one of the directors of The Wright Family Foundation as she had a passion for women to be able to access primary services and solid postnatal care. It is a charity, not a private business. They are simply providing what the DHB isn’t. What they have asked for, is to have the primary funding follow the women to her birth space to pay for their care and keep the facility free for the public. It is not and cannot be private due to legislation in NZ requiring maternity services to be free. The money would only be enough to keep the facility open and to “break even” not make money out of it. If the woman doesn’t go to the hospital and use their services then it hasn’t cost the DHB anything. Why can’t that money be passed on?

The DHB has stated that they are spending $9 million dollars upgrading the maternity unit at Hutt Hospital. This includes the secondary service – obstetrics and the special care baby unit, and that that should be enough for the women of the Hutt Valley. What they are willfully ignoring is the overwhelming voice of women saying that they do not want to birth within the hospital. Women who are primary who do not need to be in there. Where is their safe space? Te Awakairangi would only cost $1.5 Million a year to run – that’s ridiculously cheap compared to how much it costs per woman in hospital.

On the hospital – the upgrades are not going to be finished until the end of 2023. What provisions has the DHB put in place for primary women come 23rd September when Te Awakairangi closes? We refer to our previous Facebook post refuting CEO Fionnagh Dougan’s statements around women’s choice to birth in the hospital. We call BU****IT. Her hospital’s maternity unit is not in a good way and we will fight for our employed core midwife sisters to get the facility, equipment, environment and pay that they deserve. We worry about the women, their babies and whanau left in this unsafe system. It is not the doctors nor the midwives who are unsafe, but the system.

But for us, LMC midwives, this has all made our job unsustainable. Fighting bureaucrats, politicians, social media, bean counters, government and more…the list goes on.

If we could do our job safely, with good facilities and fair pay then the rest of it is just noise. However the noise is too loud. We are too tired. And our families need us now.

Kia ora,

While this is testing times, please know that nothing really changes for your and your whanau in regards to care. There are some guidelines that we need to adhere to, but throughout you and your baby will be well cared for.

We are taking advice from the NZ College of Midwives and Ministry of Health about provision of care. Your midwife will be in contact to determine whether you are due for an in person consultation or phone assessment. This will be the same postnatally. Urgent concerns are prioritised so please call your midwife as you normally would. 04 802 0771.

If you labour during alert level 4 then you can have one support person with you, but they need to be the only support person during your stay. They will be provided with meals as well as you, to limit them leaving and returning to any facility.

We are unable to use our clinic rooms at this time so will be conducting home antenatal assessments for those eligible in the schedule. Please wear a mask when we arrive and be alone in the room. This will be for the physical assessment. A phone consultation will occur prior while outside your home to determine any concerns. The same will be for postnatal visits. Please wear a mask and be alone in the room with your baby. Have them undressed and in a clean nappy ready for us to do the physical assessment. The rest of the consult will be done via phone while outside your house. Physical assessments are limited to 15 minutes.

Your midwife will be in contact to let you know whether your next appt will be in person or over the phone/zoom. At any time you can call for a conversation or assessment if you are worried or have any concerns.

In regards to working while pregnant - please discuss with your employer about your risk level and whether is is safe for you to continue to work. Working from home is advised if you're able to do so.

We have attached information from the Ministry of Health and NZCOM for your perusal.

COVID-19: Information for Women - New Zealand College of Midwives - New Zealand College of Midwives (midwife.org.nz)

Please wear a mask in public, use social distancing, sign in with the covid trace app but above all, stay at home if you can.

Kind regards,
Jessica & Kelly

Covid-19 Level 4 update for clients:

All non urgent antenatal and postnatal visits will be suspended until alert levels are updated.

Women who are 37 weeks gestation and over will still be seen in clinic for a 15 minute physical check up if they are due for this and haven't been seen already this week. Postnatal clients who are due for an early 24 hour post facility discharge visit, metabolic screen and 1 week assessment will be seen as planned. Women coming to our clinic must attend alone and wear a mask.

All other antenatal and postnatal visits will be conducted via phone or zoom - your midwife will be in contact to schedule this.

Any client who has an urgent concern is advised to call via our message service on 04 802 0771 as you normally would.

Routine ultrasound and blood tests may be delayed - providers of these services will have updates online.

Te Awakairangi Birthing Centre will only be allowing one support person for the duration of your stay if you birth in the coming days and is closed to visitors. Your support person will not be permitted to come and go, hence breaking the bubble. Hutt Maternity will likely be implementing the same policy but will be updating their website and page with more information. We ask that home birth clients have only their partner present to ensure bubbles are maintained and to protect us going in and out of other families bubbles.

Please stay in your bubble, wear masks if out in public and stay safe. Follow the Covid website for more information -

Home A central place for information from the New Zealand Government about COVID-19.

We refute the CEO of Hutt Hospital Fionnagh Dougan's statistics that 90% of women choose to give birth at Hutt Hospital. Fionnagh Dougan CE of HVDHB and CCDHB

Due to the lack of LMC midwives, women are having to go through the hospital community team which means the only option is to birth at the hospital. Her statement is disingenuous at best and not a true reflection of "choice". We also believe that the statistic does not show the difference between those who choose, those who have no choice due to care provider and those that must due to clinical complications.

Her statistics are the direct opposite to what we as midwives see in practice and in no way believe that only 10% of women in the Hutt Valley choose Te Awakairangi or home birth. We have been able to sustain caseloads of 40 women each midwife a year for the past 2 years (200 women a year across the group, until recently) with women only wanting Te Awakairangi birth and homebirth. And that is just our group.

Fionnagh, the Executive Leadership Team and members of the board need to start being transparent and in tune with what consumers want and need! Painting a couple of old postnatal rooms within an obstetric secondary care unit and calling them them "primary care" rooms is NOT what providing true primary services means!!!

We are pushing for maternity funding within the DHB to be ringfenced and for the primary funding provided from the MOH for each woman, to follow the woman to HER choice of birth place. Whether it is a privately built facility or not. The Wright Foundation are just providing what the DHB isn't. Te Awakairangi is entitled to primary maternity funding from the DHB like EVERY other primary maternity unit in NZ.

Te Awakairangi cost nothing for the DHB to build. The Wright Foundation have asked for nothing other than some of the primary funding to keep it open and free for women. We find it appalling that during code reds and bed shortages in the DHB, they have asked Te Awakairangi for help in way of beds and care for their women. Te Awakairangi has graciously said yes every time and picked up the slack for the DHB. And this is the thanks they get in return???

Fionnagh Dougan says - "The safety of women, parents and babies is the key priority for our maternity services and is at the centre of all decisions made in regards to their care." - Since when did the DHB get to decide what's safe for women while repeatedly ignoring their requests to be heard? Withholding money earmarked for that women's care because she wants to birth outside of the hospital is holding them ransom! We would love to know for every single one of our clients who birthed at home or at Te Awakairangi and NEVER stepped foot in Hutt Hospital - how did the DHB use their money? Where did it go? It seems that we actually MADE the DHB money!

The $9 million provided to revamp Hutt Maternity includes SCBU (special care baby unit) - also a secondary service. The DHB gets funding for secondary services anyway. So where is it all going? And where is the primary service they claim to be providing? We support putting all that money into revamping the secondary service - we know it needs it. But do not give us the pretense that you will be providing a safe, primary birthing area away from the obstetric unit. Let us have Te Awakairangi instead.

The evidence is clear - women and babies have better experiences and outcomes birthing in a primary setting. A primary setting can never be in the middle of a busy obstetric ward.