Hamilton MW recommendations from new mums

Firstly, congratulations!

I have used Colleen Van Der Laan (2006 & 2008) and Shelley Sjaarda (2010) - they are each others back ups. Colleen was my mw for baby 1 & 2 (though Shelley delivered number 2) and used Shelley as my mw for baby 3 (Colleen was in Europe when I was due). I them both! They are both registered nurses and have been midwives for a long time. They are straight up, friendly and prompt to respond to you. And they've never made me feel silly for asking questions.

Anyway, I'd suggest meeting with a couple of midwives and see how you feel. I met Colleen first and felt at ease right from the start.

Also check out thisthread for more recommendations.

All the best

Debbie Fawcett and her backup Sallie Turner are both brilliant. Jo Coulter, Frances Good and Karyn Woodhouse are also very popular and book up fast.

I think it is really important when picking a midwife not to just go with the first one available but to meet them and see if you click. Most midwives are happy to meet with you first and see how you get on, discuss birth philosophy, experience, caseload etc etc and then decide. You should choose a midwife who you feel will act at all times in partnership with you and respect the decisions you make.


And FYI, Copy and pasted from another website:

Some questions you can ask to help you choose a midwife:
What birthing services does the midwife offer and how does she provide care? e.g. does she provide full continuity of care for her client?
Does she provide care for women choosing home birth, hospital birth and water birth?
Which hospital does she have access to?
Does she work by herself, in partnership with another midwife or as part of a group practice?
Are her beliefs about pregnancy and childbirth etc compatible with yours?
What is her midwifery experience and background?
How many women does she book a month?
How many weeks does she visit after you give birth?
Does she have plans to go on holiday during the months you will be needing her services?
Is she a member of the New Zealand College of Midwives and does she participate in the yearly review of practice offered by this College?

Good luck and congratulations

Thanks so much girls. I've been to see Karyn Woodhouse and Wendy Fache. Both of them seemed very nice. Finding it difficult to make a decision though as my meeting with Karyn was kind of like a first appointment (even though she knew I was looking around for a midwife), filling out lots of paperwork etc and I didn't really get to ask many questions. Wendy's was more like an interview! No paperwork, just lots of info about who she was, her training etc. And she had lots of photos on her wall of babies she had helped deliver which I liked! Hmmm, might have to make a list of pros and cons to see if that helps...

I had Karyn for both my pregnancies and found her to be really lovely and would take her on again if I ever had another baby

I had Rebekah Tainui and her backup Kathryn Duggan were awesome, loved all the help they gave me all the way through.