Kirsty Wilkinson Midwifery and Antenatal Education

16/03/2024

A look at our beautiful new unit and my new place of work! Opening 19th April

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/5fJJoyzaw97Pu2sf/?mibextid=xfxF2i

21/08/2023

It's all on in the teaching world for me from next month! Not only will I be teaching antenatal education with Parents Centre, I will now also be teaching with Jess at Authored here in Christchurch! So if you'd like to come along to one of my classes these are what I have coming up:

# Classes # #
Due date Dec/Jan
Classes 28th Sept- 7th Dec Thursday nights (6 classes)
6pm-8pm Antigua Street CBD

Due date Feb/Mar
Classes 16th Nov- 1st Feb Thursday nights (6 classes)
6pm-8pm Antigua Street CBD

weekend classes also available with Jess

book here: https://www.authored.co.nz/book-now

# Centre Classes # #

Homebirth Class
any due date, online class with myself and Sophie Moskowitz
one off 2 hour class about preparing for birthing at home
11th October

Antenatal Classes
9th November-14th December
6:45pm-9:15pm
Held at Springston Community Hall (6 classes)
Optimally for due dates falling Jan/Feb 2024

Classes also available in Cashmere and Papanui with other instructors.

Book here: https://parentscentre.org.nz/antenatal-parenting-courses/

17/08/2023

For those looking at having a home birth, or who would like to more about birthing at home, Parents Centre are now running a 2 hour online course. This will be taken by myself and Sophie over at Imperfect Parents!
I also have a face to face 6 week antenatal class coming up in Lincoln for Parents centre for November that can be booked on the same link below just search Lincoln- would love to see some of your faces there!

https://parentscentreonline.parentscentre.org.nz/?fbclid=IwAR1EkdVlbeay17uVIXnT3XGjiKyb-S4iBTuKyDezSxpP4LB9dGic92ebtJw

Aotearoa NZ’s Largest Provider of Parenting Support & Education, including Antenatal Classes and more. Supporting parents to grow great kids.

21/06/2023

Mums and Bubs coffee group happening at the church next door to the clinic tomorrow morning! 180 Queenspark Drive, check out "Mums and Bubs in the East' Facebook group for more info, its run by our lovely local Plunket nurse! Great group for any local Parklands parents looking to connect with other local new mums

14/05/2023

Happy mothers day to all the mama's out there!
I hope today has been exactly what you needed it to be.

Special thanks to all those mums who have let me be part of their entries into parenthood. I see each and every one of you and hold you close in my thoughts today 💜

Thanks to these kids who made me a mum. The single hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done.
📷 Lucy Jane Photography

29/03/2023

Shaking things up a little bit on this page in the coming days: I am now the Parents Centre Facilitator for Lincoln! I will be teaching Antenatal classes and the postnatal 'Baby and You' classes.

I am also now working casually up at Christchurch Women's on birthing suite roughly once a week while I figure out what life looks like as a cancer survivor 💪

I am really excited to venture into parenting education and hope to deliver an engaging, fun and informative course.

First classes are running from May (lots of dates available) booking available via this link
https://parentscentre.org.nz/antenatal-parenting-courses/

You don't have to live in Selwyn, just be happy to travel out there once a week for 6 weeks- I'll make it fun and provide snacks I promise!

Thank you all for your beautiful support during the rollercoaster that the last 12 months have been. I am still so passionate about midwifery and all things birth so I am absolutely chuffed that I can still work in these spaces in some capacity while I continue to heal.

I would love to see some friendly faces at some of my classes so if you are keen or know someone who might be, please send them my way!

Aotearoa NZ’s Largest Provider of Parenting Support & Education. Evidence-based antenatal, pregnancy, labour and birth, feeding and parenting courses.

13/11/2022

Hi all, have recently noted my work phone is not working for anything other than calls. So if you have sent me a text I won't have gotten it!
If you need to get hold of me you can reach me on here or instagram and I'm happy to give you my personal cell number.

I am also taking on a VERY small number of 2022 families (as in 5 for the entire year) I won't be back on find your midwife etc and will be giving preference to return families. I am also only taking families who are OK with the possibility that my cancer may return and there is a chance I may need to find you alternative care- but hopefully not!

In terms of my cancer, I am still recovering from a radical abdominal hysterectomy which unexpectedly showed that my cancer had spread into my uterus. What this means is we are on watching and waiting. I could be cured, or it may have spread into my abdomen. There is no way of knowing other than time and regular checkups with my team. So for now, it's good food, exercise, low stress and trying to restore my health as much as I can- including a very slow and gentle re-entry to work!

I hope you all are well ❤

05/10/2022

An excellent education offering for those wanting to know more about caesarean section! Jess and Kate will offer more sessions if there is enough interest

A comprehensive 2 hour course led by registered midwives - covering the ins and out's of caesarean birth followed by a Q&A -What is a caesarean -Emergency vs elective -Before the event -On the day -Birth plan options (eg gentle caesarean, maternal assisted caesarean, microbiome seeding, optimising t...

08/08/2022

Amazing resource!

To close out we’re launching a new platform - Find Your Breastfeeding Support, Aotearoa’s first & only breastfeeding support services directory!
This online directory connects parents and whānau with breastfeeding support services across the country. We’ve spent more than 2 years on its development, after hearing from the community that support services were hard to find.
Find support or create a listing for your service here 🔥
www.findyourbreastfeedingsupport.org.nz

03/08/2022

An amazing post!

Talking about chest feeding and SNS this

There are infinite ways to feed your baby skin to skin, with breastmilk, even if you aren't able to lactate yourself. One of the ways that people nourish their pēpi with human milk is by using donor milk that can be fed to their baby through a supply line, at their chest.

This means that pēpi gets all the benefits of latching to the ni**le, being skin to skin, and being fed breastmilk. Supplemental nursing systems (SNS) work by using a bottle or container to hold the donor milk, and a small thin flexible tube that sits in line with the ni**le so that as baby sucks on the ni**le, they draw donor milk from the bottle, through the tube, and into their mouth.

Mamas with low supply or who have undergone a mastectomy, as well as transgender dads who have had top surgery, are some of the many people who may use a SNS to feed their baby.

While most people use the term "breastfeeding," some people prefer the term "chest feeding," to describe how they feed their baby. While anatomically speaking both men and women have breast tissue, due to the gendered connotations of the word 'breast,' it's important to check with the person in your care what language is most affirming for them ❤️

11/07/2022

Kia ora whānau, hope you are all keeping warm. Here is our list of guest speakers for Ūkaipō in term 3.
Hope you all enjoy the school holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all again in the new term.

10/07/2022

Some fantastic resources from PADA and a beautiful article linked within to a families journey to parenthood.

What does being transgender and non-binary mean?

Transgender and non-binary are both umbrella terms - transgender refers to people who identify with a gender different to the gender usually associated with their assigned s*x at birth. They may have received affirmative medical care such as surgery or hormones to live comfortably within and help others perceive their true gender.

Not all transgender people receive gender affirming health care and many face significant barriers accessing broader health care as well. Non-binary refers to somebody who does not feel they fit within the binary ideas of ‘man’, or ‘woman’, but rather both, or somewhere in between. Non-binary is not a third gender and isn’t a synonym for androgynous. Some non-binary people also identify as transgender, and some transgender people also identify as non-binary.

From New Zealand data, it is likely that transgender and non-binary parents make up about 1% of the postpartum population at present. It is anticipated this number will continue to increase with time. This is because the social
stigma associated with being transgender or non-binary is continuing to decrease, and more people are feeling safe to identify and be open about
being transgender and non-binary.

The increase in social acceptance of people whose gender differs from their assigned s*x at birth has also led to increased awareness and access to gender affirmative care and fertility preservation for transgender and non-binary people. This means that more people feel safe to medically and socially transition, and there is greater access to support services to help them make this transition.

To read more download our fact sheet: https://pada.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Supporting-Transgender-and-non-binary-parents.pdf

Also, read NZ Herald's article about a trans man's pregnancy journey here in Aotearoa. https://tinyurl.com/2afmt5ue

23/06/2022

Just a wee update from me to say, getting all these messages telling me your little bundles have arrived is absolutely giving me life!

I miss you all very much, and you're all in my thoughts near daily while I smash this cancer. Today marks halfway through my radiation and chemo, and it feels like I am nearly there.
I share alot about the cancer stuff on my Instagram (mrsdangerwilkinson) you are welcome to follow me on there if you're particularly interested.

My work number can still receive messages but I am unable to reply to them as I've downgraded my account temporarily while I'm not working, but feel free to contact me on here/instagram.

Thinking of you all and wishing you all the best for your upcoming babies! Can't wait to be back in the game 2023 💪❤️

25/05/2022

To the NZ government, I urge you to read this, to stop turning a blind eye, to really listen.

I am a birth photographer in Auckland, my role is to capture the single most life changing day of people’s lives, it really is the most incredible privilege.

Working in the birth world has given me the huge privilege of working alongside so many amazing midwives in both the hospital system and out in the community as LMC’s. It has given me the opportunity to REALLY see the reality that is midwifery in New Zealand currently, a behind the scenes look into the conditions these modern day heroes are working under, for such disgraceful remuneration.

The responsibility that their role entails is second to none, literally holding life in their hands, critical decision making, dealing with emergency situations, the weight on their shoulders is enormous.

The long shifts, the extra unpaid check ups, the lack of breaks, the chronic understaffing, our midwives are caring for our families for the love of it, it certainly isn’t reflected in their pay.

It is completely unfathomable that our midwives are not valued for the love, the care, the expertise, the responsibility, the long hours and the incredibly important mahi that they do, I fail to see how they are so overlooked when midwives have played and integral role in all our lives!!

What is plain to see is our model of care crumbling, New Zealand was once so envied for our incredible midwifery model of care but our midwives cannot sustain this career for long, and are leaving the profession in droves.

Please, PLEASE listen, PLEASE stop continuing to ignore the plight of our amazing midwives, before it is too late 🫵🏻

15/05/2022

Some important research being done by a wonderful friend of mine. If you've had a homebirth in the last 12 months please consider getting in touch with Violet!

11/05/2022

To all the wonderful families I have had the privilege of walking alongside this message is for you.
Thank you so much
I see your messages. My work phone is going through some plan changes and I can't reply right now but I will when it's fixed.
So for now this is just a huge big hug from me. Your messages of support light up my day
I appreciate you all so much for being so supportive and kind when my own journey has done a big ol crap on your own plans
I am doing well, treatment plan coming on Friday.
Do feel free to message me pictures and stories of your new arrivals as they enter this world. I am still invested in your journeys and I am so proud of you all ❤
Kirsty

24/04/2022

Hi everyone
This is not an easy post for me to make and I have been avoiding making it if I am honest.

The last couple of weeks I have been seeing various health professionals to try and get some answers about my own health and on Friday I was told that I have cervical adenocarcinoma. I am waiting on some scans to confirm severity but those are a couple of weeks away.

What I do know is that I am very sick. That I am going to be starting chemo and radiation in the next few weeks (unless scans advise us to switch plans) they believe that they will be able to fix me. But have made if clear that I will not be capable of working through my treatment and that I need to step back and focus on beating cancer for probably the rest of the year, maybe longer.

I am absolutely devastated. I made a promise to all of you to care for you throughout your pregnancy, birth and postpartum journeys and now that is going to have to change at exceptionally short notice.

I need to stop work immediately.

Tonight my wonderful team and I are having a meeting to work out a plan. Some of you will be able to be cared for by someone else within my team, but due to us all having pretty full caseloads already some of you I am going to have to go outside the practice.

What I can promise is that over the next couple of days I will be finding equally wonderful, capable, incredible midwives for each and every one of you. You will not be left without care.

I am so sorry to let you all down 😭😭 but if cancer beats me I can't be anyone's midwife ever.