Messages for our midwives

In support of you standing up to rally against being

under-valued & disrespected!
We stand with you!
Midwives bring lives into this world, they support woman
(and whanau) through one of the most important and
special times of their lives. They are a woman's support
person throughout their pregnancy and postpartum period,
providing them information, guidance, support,
reassurance and care. They are on-call for woman 24/7. They
are away from their own family for hours/days on end when
a woman goes into labour and is birthing her baby. Woman,
baby (and whanau) wouldn't survive without the care from
midwives! They deserve respect. They deserve better pay. They
deserve to be recognised. They deserve so so much more than
Sarah with Sons
what they are receiving right now! What is going to happen hudson & cooper -
to woman and babies without our midwives? birthed in Hutt hospital
Amy from naenae with theo - born in hutt hospital

Thanks for bringing our

precious boy into the world
safely and supporting us.
We really hope all midwives get
better pay/working conditions
so they can continue to do the
amazing job they do.
Midwives are vital!! I had an obstetrician for my first Monique - mum to logan,
child, but when it came to giving birth it was the alyssa & luke
hospital midwives that actually supported me and did Born in hutt hospital
all the hard work - the obstetrician basically just came
in at the end and caught the baby as it came out.

Second two pregnancies I had midwives, who were

incredible. I felt so supported and safe in their hands.
Post birth they went above and beyond, especially when
I had difficulties breastfeeding. Midwives do incredible
work and we need to value them more.
Alice from epuni with jude - born in hutt hospital
The support from my midwife
made all the difference in
what was a very difficult
pregnancy with my second
baby.
I am in awe of the work these
wonderful women do for our
community.
The midwives at new beginnings were amazing during my pregnancy, birth and the early weeks
with my first baby. I can’t imagine doing it without their support! It was stressful trying to
find a midwife due to the shortage even when I was 5 weeks I can’t even imagine what it will
be like if we lose more community midwives. It also must be hard for the midwives having to
turn people away when they don’t have capacity. The support I received made me feel so
supported and safe with regular clinics and knowing I could call at anytime if there were any
issues. My midwife was very caring and supportive during my delivery and the weekly home
visits for the first 6 weeks was a fantastic support. My midwife acted quickly when I had a post
delivery bleed. Midwives need to be more valued by the government and this should be
reflected in their pay and safe staffing. They have such a lot of responsibility taking care of
mummas and their babies lives and well-being! They also work so incredibly hard with shift
work and awake and on call all hours of the day. Katherine in the hutt
 Megan from
normandale
with kamden,
luca & wylie -

born in
Wellington &
hutt hospitals
I can never thank my midwives enough for empowering me, advocating for me, caring for me with
such kindness and respect and for providing me with all the information (and no judgement!) I
needed to make the right choices for myself and my babies. Thank you to all our amazing midwives
who walk beside us during our pregnancy and birthing journeys. I stand behind our midwives 100%
your care and
guidance
means the
world ❤

Cara’s baby makai born in hutt hospital

Both my LMC and the hospital midwives were
amazing before, during and after my
daughter's birth. I don't know what I would
have done without their support both in
hospital and at home.
rachel from birchville - her baby paige was born in hutt hospital
 Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! My
pregnancy journey was marred with difficulties but you
helped us make it through!
I pray that our government and the people behind doing
these decisions will make the right one!
Blondie from wainuiomata with her
partner & baby nathaniel born in hutt
hospital
Baby fia, born at te awakairaingi You’re wonderful and
birthing centre,
to terri from upper hutt we appreciate you a lot
 Hamish & alfie - born in hutt &
wellington hospitals
Thanks for all you did for me during my pregnancies,
births and postnatally. Neither of my pregnancies were
perfectly straightforward but midwife support (both LMC and
many core midwives) helped spot and manage issues, preserve
my autonomy, support my mental health and set me up with
breastfeeding. Apart from the difference that made to me I
also believe skilled midwife care would have saved the NZ
health system a lot of money in my case and got me home to
my family as quick as possible. I hope other women continue
to have the choices I had.
Meg from Boulcott, Lower Hutt
Midwives are amazing.
It's a tough job and the
amount of effort and
love they put into it is
extraordinary. They
deserve so much more.

Baby zac born at hutt hospital - cuddling with mum, deb

Please keep fighting, you are
worth it and we’ll fight
with you
Elena b from petone, who had her baby evie in wellington hospital
 Grace from Upper hutt with milo &
ziggy moon, born in hutt hospital
Alison, always our voice of reason and queen of
patience. We are forever indebted to you for being
with us when Milo was born, you helped us in ways we
can never possibly repay. Thank you for everything
you did for us ❤
Kelly, you were such a legend helping me believe in
my own ability to birth naturally when I presented
in spontaneous labour early, you were a pillar of
strength guiding me through an empowering VBAC
that I will never forget ❤
 Without a midwife my first birth could have turned
out very differently and without her support and
prior knowledge of my first birth I wouldn't have had
the strength to try for a VBAC the second time round.
Continuity of care is so important for pregnant
women and new mum's who are at times vulnerable,
afraid and overwhelmed. Grace from Upper Hutt
 Melissa, mum to ayvan & amaia,
born in hutt hospital
Thank you for delivering our
baby safely and caring for me
post birth. It was a very
pleasant experience for what
can be quite an unnerving
time (birth)
It takes a special kind of person to take a naive, Charlotte & partner with roman,
unprepared 26-year-old through pregnancy and then a harper & spencer born in hutt hospital
2-week-long prodromal labour, where you constantly & te Awakairangi birthing centre
cheered me on, advocated for me and knew that
induction wasn’t actually the easy way out. With your
guidance and the trust I had in you I had the most
incredible, empowering birth. I felt like superwoman.
Breastfeeding was hard but you held my hand through it
all, and pointed me in the direction of the support I
needed. You knew me, you knew my baby and so knew
what we needed, and because I felt supported I had the
energy and confidence to navigate those first few
weeks. Through every step of the way, there you were.
Sometimes sitting in my lounge for over an hour just
chatting, because you knew that’s what I needed.
And you did that for me through all 3 of my pregnancies, births and
postpartum periods whilst caring for many, many women at the same time
and caring for your own family.

Where would I be without you?! I actually shudder to think. Because of my

positive birth experience the first time I went on to have 2 more bubbas,
including a beautiful water birth for my last. I also became a childbirth
educator with a dream that other birthing people could feel just as
empowered as I did. The flow on effect of your work is huge! And I am
forever thankful for you and for the incredible work midwives do. (Charlotte)
 Indie, born in hutt hospital
to olivia from clouston park,
upper hutt

Thank you for

everything!
We appreciate you
 Ellie, born to susan from
broadmeadows, in

Thank you so much wellington hospital

for all your help

and support ❤❤
Hudson & emmie, born in hutt hospital
to sez from waiwhetu
Thank you for supporting and
empowering me. You made my journey
into motherhood a positive one. I can't
imagine having a baby without this kind
of care and support and feel devastated
that so many new mums will miss out due
to a lack of funding. We need to save our
wonderful midwifery model ❤
We are so appreciative of the support, care and Frances from
johnsonville, with partner
knowledge of all our midwives (registered & baby tobin. born in
and student, hospital and LMC, locum). wellington hospital
Tobin was born 30 minutes before level 4
lockdown began in 2020.
While everything was changing each day, a
pandemic did not stop babies being born.
Well done on coping so well and supporting
us through it!
Campbell, zac, annie & beth, born at My whanau and I love you and thank
home to milly in eastbourne you for all your care and support
 I feel blessed to have the midwife and
experience I had 19 plus years ago. Due to the
care and role modelling I received I then
trained to work in this area and aspire to give
the same whanau centred, holistic and
empowered care. I see this with mums now who
have had great midwifery care.... they become
passionate about passing on this care and
Midwife Sue/susan
lennox at work support to others. Milly in eastbourne
Emma from khandallah
with her partner simon &
their baby margot, born
in wellington hospital

We were so lucky to be in
your care, you are so skilled,
warm and wonderful at your
job. Thank you!
esther’s baby jakob born at te awakairangi birthing centre
Had the greatest experience
with Nicole and her backup
Moni, we were so lucky with
them and being able to
birth at the birthing centre
in lower hutt.
 Both my midwives have been incredible,
providing so much support and ensuring me
and my babies were kept safe. I'd like to say
thank you so much! If it wasn't for this care I
would have been lost and felt very alone.
You guys are amazing ❤
Kate who had her babies AMAYA, SADIE & QUINN in HUTT hospital
 Zara & van, born to
I hold a special place in my heart tamsin from epuni,
in hutt hospital
for my midwife, and the
midwives at Hutt Hospital who
looked after me after I birthed
my babies. Midwives are amazing,
under appreciated people 💗
Shelley, mum to hazel & alex, born
in wellington hospital
Our human wellbeing begins with
the care of mothers and unborn
children and your mahi is
critical in enabling our society
to support this. Thank you for all
you do.
 Thank you to my midwives for
enabling us to have amazing, joyful
births at home in Wellington and
the Hutt. You work so hard & truly
care about your role even though
you do not get the recognition for
all that you do. you and your
whānau sacrifice your own time
together so that you can support us.

You so deserve to be valued and

respected. Hear us nz government!
Vida with daughters zoe & phoebe,
birthed in Wellington and the Hutt
victoria from
wainuiomata with her
partner & their baby
aurora, born in hutt
hospital
You were so amazing and we will
never forget you! You made the
whole experience so beautiful even
with all the pressure you are under.
You deserve fair pay and proper
support from the government with
adequate staffing levels.
You are angels! Thank you for all
you do to support our whanau!
emily from eastbourne,
Mum to mia - born in Hutt Hospital
ALICE FROM CAMBORNE, MUM TO BILLIE born at HUTT HOSPITAL
I fiercely support our midwives - we need to do better as a
country to ensure that our future pēpi, and whānau have the
care they need to be safe! I was unable to find a LMC when I fell
hapū because of the pressure the system puts on our midwiVes. I
was 14 weeks before I was able to see someone through the
community support at Hutt Hospital.
I am so grateful for what I did receive but it wasn’t ideal at no
fault of any of our overworked and underpaid midwives! I was
so fortunate and blessed to have had beautiful midwife Kerry
assigned to me when I went to hospital to deliver who worked
bloody hard to bring Billie into the world safely.
This could have easily been a different outcome and highlights
the job they do is immense and under valued. I am also so
beyond grateful that Gwen took me on postnatally even
though her workload was already too high, otherwise I
wouldn’t have had anyone once I got home. I can’t say it
loud enough - things need to change and we need to do
better to ensure our midwives thrive so we thrive ❤
ANNA from petone with
diego fransisco, born in
hutt hospital
Fantastic group of wahine
who are over worked,
underpaid and undervalued.
Our experience with our
midwife was extremely
positive. Thank you.
 Ruth from naenae - mum to alicia &
keziah, born in hutt hospital
Thank you so much for your calm,
patient help throughout my
pregnancies and births. You were
knowledgeable and attentive, day or
night - such a blessing to have you
around! You are needed and valued.
You need and deserve breaks too!
Anna with Isaac & Asher -
Born at home - in
Wellington & the UK
The support and strength you gave
me through my first pregnancy and
birth showed me how amazing birth
could be with the right support! I
loved giving birth, thanks to you
and the midwives I met along the
way! Thank you. It changed my life.
Emilee from Stokes Valley, MUM TO sofia
born at te awakairangi birthing centre
I am so grateful that I was
able to have Suzie as my
midwife through birthworks
and give birth at the
birthing centre. It made it
such an enjoyable experience
to be looked after so well.
We recently gave birth at Wellington Hospital. We now have our beautiful baby girl
home with us, but we couldn’t have done it without the help of all the midwives saylor born in wellington
who supported us on our journey. Midwives are critical to supporting moms, their hospital to KELSI from
pepi and whānau as they provide essential support, knowledge and guidance.
southern bays, wellington
After our first night at home, I wasn’t sure how we were going to get by - baby
wouldn’t settle and feed, we didn’t sleep and the challenges seemed huge. Then
our midwife arrived and she answered our questions, came up with a plan and
helped us through. We honestly would not be where we are without her. She truly
saved us and has been fundamentally in supporting the health and well-being of
myself and our baby.

Midwives need to be valued, and respected for the mahi they do, which is critical to
the future of Aotearoa New Zealand’s children. This means pay and working
conditions that acknowledge the importance of their work. We need to support our
midwives with better pay and resourcing. This is a critical issue, and one that needs
to be addressed now.
JENA FROM KOROKORO with
HER baby EVA, born in hutt
hospital
Midwives are some serious
heroes. You don’t wear capes
but you should. The community
would be worse off without you,
we all love and appreciate what
you do so much.
 Thank you for your support in the most
special moments in our lives, for being
there throughout our pregnancies, for
only being a call away, for being my
safety, my security, my voice in my time
of need. We will never forget you and
how special you are to our family.
Chloe from upper hutt with her partner and
children skylar, saskia and sacha who were
Born at hutt hospital, wellington hospital
and the birth centre.
I am so grateful for the wonderful care I
was given by my midwives, in particular
my 2nd and 3rd midwives Marnie &
Kelly. They supported me through 2
incredible home births and I feel so
lucky I was able to achieve the birth I
desired with such positive outcomes due
to the wonderful care they gave me.

Alex from wallaceville,upper hutt who has birthed at home and at wellington hospital.
She has three children - Lucy, oliver and isabel.
At least 2 of the 3 midwives I had have since left (or are leaving) midwifery as they
were finding it unsustainable as a career. The hours aRE too long and the pay is too
little. I worry so much for other mums not being able to achieve the birth they
want due to being unable to find a midwife. A positive birth experience is so
important for both mother and baby. There are already so many obstacles for new
mothers to overcome. Access to supportive antenatal, birth, and postnatal care can
set the tone for the new mother/baby relationship and impact my hugely on
maternal mental health. Our midwives and birth facilities are so so important, we
need them and they need to be recognised for all they’re worth!!!
Alex
Your names & location here

Your message here:

Join with us & show

support for your
midwife
 If you want to add a message of
support to your midwife here,
please email
savemymidwife@gmail.com
Messages collated by “Hutt Families for Midwives”
https://www.facebook.com/huttfamiliesformidwives/
NB this is a live document that we are adding to all the time, so you may see some edits going on….