Mothers’ support group formed
Showing off the latest arrivals to Golden Bay. Midwives Gerry Whitaker (rear centre) Pamela Goffriller and Janet Zrinyi (both right centre rear) join parents at the new mothers support group. Photo: Gerard Hindmarsh.
Around a dozen mothers who finished antenatal classes with the Golden Bay midwives early this year, are continuing their weekly meetings as an informal new mothers’ support group.
The Tuesday coffee mornings held around their various houses also draws in the odd partner and even grandparents who may be staying. Cath Rogers gave birth to her baby, Lucca, on 4 July, and says the group is a great way to stay in touch.
“It’s hard to go every week, but it’s a great option to be able to stay involved. You get to see how other mothers and babies are going and learn heaps in the process.”
Although primary health care of the baby passes to the Well Child nurse Helen Bracefield at five weeks, midwives like to keep in touch.
“You can’t deliver a baby and not feel a bond,” said midwife Celia Butler. “And we really noticed the sense of community that has come out of this class in particular.”
The Golden Bay Midwifery Service, based at the GB Community Hospital, is currently made up of one full-timer and four part-timers, with Janet Zrinyi as the latest addition to the team. They are all employed directly by the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board. Full-timer Pamela Goffriller has 23 years’ experience as a midwife, while Gerry Whitaker, Celia Butler and reliever Carol Soutter have 35 years each.
Says Celia: “Golden Bay’s expectant mothers can be confident of getting a service that is in many ways unparalleled, whether it be at the maternity unit in the local hospital or a home birth. We do exercise low tolerance for holding on to mothers that may need birthing help at Nelson Hospital”.
At the GB Community Hospital, the whānau-friendly maternity wing is made up of two “low tech” birthing rooms (one of which now has a birthing pool) plus an antenatal room. Mothers tend to stay in the unit with their babies for up to two days, and in those instances when a longer stay is clinically indicated, there is Ministry of Health funding. Home births are also a big part of midwives’ work here.
A baby is born in New Zealand every 14 minutes and 23 seconds, and Golden Bay parents account for around 50 to 60 of these new arrivals each year. The timing of births can fluctuate greatly. Three babies were delivered in Golden Bay in a single week in July so this was a busy time for the midwives. Three sets of twins were also born to Golden Bay parents last year, all in Nelson, as is routine with multiple births.
Legislative changes nearly two decades ago led to both midwives and doctors being able to become Lead Maternity Carers. A Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) provides primary maternity care, being on-call to provide continuity of care for the woman.
Here in Golden Bay, the LMC midwives work collaboratively with GPs to ensure best outcomes for women. Specialist doctors at Nelson Public Hospital provide obstetric care for women with additional pregnancy complications, in conjunction with the midwife and GP.
Gerard Hindmarsh
