MIDWIVES@BOTANY
About MIDWIVES@BOTANY
Our team consists of 5 Midwives:
Jaimee McLindon, Margie Ireland, Sarina Gurnick, Megan Switzer and Laetitia Pelser. We are honoured to look after you and your baby and will endeavour to ensure that you have the best possible birth experience. To achieve this, we need to work in partnership together. We will offer you our time, experience and expertise; involve you in decision making concerning your care; and keep you informed of any procedures, scans and test results that may be required to safeguard the safety of you and your baby. We ask of you your best effort to follow the advice offered and to strive for optimum health during your pregnancy.
We offer primary midwifery care with a focus on physiological birth. This means that we encourage women to deliver their babies at Botany Downs Birthing Unit, as research indicates that statistically this is safe and facilitates a greater chance of a normal birth. You may also birth your baby at Middlemore Hospital if you choose to, or the progress of your pregnancy dictates that it would be safer for you and your baby.
Each midwife has her own client case-load, and is available 24 hours a day for labouring women or emergencies. Should your midwife be unavailable, there is always a backup midwife available to care for you.
We offer complete pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care in a range of settings as agreed by both parties. We are well connected within our community and can provide a range of options for referral to other health practitioners if the need should arise.
We choose to work in partnership with you and your partner/whanau to prepare you for birth and the first few weeks of new parenthood. Our relationship with you is built on respect, compassion, dignity and trust. We feel sharing your journey to parenthood is an honour and a privilege. We believe in treating newborns with gentle hands, quiet voices, and respect. We like to handle them with kindness and love, just as we do our own children. Encouraging parents to be the first voices the newborn hears, the first faces, the first soft touch is our goal
We look forward to meeting you and sharing your journey to motherhood with you and your family!
Margie, Laetitia, Megan, Sarina and Jaimee- MIDWIVES@BOTANY
Our Professional Affiliations
Midwifery Council
The Midwifery Council has set the Competencies for Entry to the Register to ensure that midwives are competent to practice their profession thereby protecting the health and safety of mothers and babies by ensuring all midwives must be registered with Midwifery Council in order to practice. For more information see www.midwiferycouncil.health.nz
New Zealand College of Midwives
The New Zealand College of Midwives sets our standards for practice, our Code of Ethics and is responsible for our bi-annual Midwifery Standards Review, a tool designed to ensure that midwives are working across the Scope of Practice thereby providing effective maternity care. For more information see www.midwife.org.nz
The Ministry of Health seeks to improve, promote and protect the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders through: its leadership of New Zealand's health and disability system. advising the Minister of Health, and government, on health and disability issues. For more information see www.health.govt.nz
More information
Find out more about our Midwives, Sarina Gurnick/ Margie Ireland/ Jaimee McLindon/ Megan Switzer/ Laetitia Pelser
Our Philosophy
We offer primary midwifery care with a focus on physiological birth. Our belief is that birth could be beautiful, powerful and life changing. Birth is not only about giving birth, but also about making strong, competent, capable mothers.
We aim to work alongside you during pregnancy to help you grow a healthy baby and prepare for an effective, powerful natural birth. During birth we provide support, guidance and offer our love and knowledge so that you and your partner/whanau feel supported and dignified.
Our goal is to provide confidential, competent, responsible care in a respectful and culturally acceptable way. You wil be advised of your health needs and treatment options available to you. You will be involved in all decision making about your care and respected for your need for privacy.
“A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty”