Student Midwives
Have you considered sharing your pregnancy and birth journey with a midwifery student?
Having a student midwife at your birth and sharing this wonderful opportunity with them, provides them with a valuable opportunity to appreciate the individuality of each woman and her family/ whānau and gives them an insight into different pregnancy, labour, birth and parenting beliefs and choices. Having a student midwife at your birth may be the single most powerful thing you can do to normalise birthing at home.
Students are keen to learn how pregnancy is experienced by you and your whānau. They are available to help with support and companionship during your pregnancy and childbirth experience. It is great to have an extra pair of hands helping out with your birth, student midwives can do everything from supporting your midwife, to bringing a cuppa and the hot cloths. As they develop their midwifery skills they move from a supportive role and start work alongside the midwife in a more ‘hands on way’, closely supervised by your midwife and with your consent.
Students attend antenatal appointments and will be available to help support you through the labour and the birth. During the postnatal period the student will visit you regularly and keep in touch with you up until your final midwifery check. A midwifery lecturer supervises each student and they will be available to answer your questions or discuss any issues. You are in charge and can decide what you want to share with the student and if you change your mind you may cease to have a student involved in your care at any time.
Image Credit: Alexa Pederson
MIDWIFERY SCHOOLS
AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (AUT)
STUDENTS BASED IN:
Northland, Auckland and Taranaki regions.
AUT places their midwifery students with midwives for their community placements, however we encourage you to contact the school if you would like to give a student the opportunity to learn more about and experience home birth. They may be able to work with you to organise and support a suitable student.
CONTACT:
Head of Department for Midwifery
Email tania.fleming@aut.ac.nz
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WAIKATO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
STUDENTS BASED IN:
Gisborne, Hamilton, Hawke’s Bay, Rotorua, Tauranga and Taupō regions.
Wintec would love to be contacted by any pregnant consumers who would like a midwifery student at their home birth. Their students are placed with a midwife for community placements – however they would welcome this gift of experience for their students and would support an appropriate student to attend if invited.
CONTACT:
Midwifery Department
Email midwifery@wintec.ac.nz
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VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON
STUDENTS BASED IN:
Wellington
VUW places their midwifery students with midwives for their community placements, however they <span>are looking for more opportunities to promote physiological birth within their programme, therefore we encourage you to contact the school if you would like to give a student the opportunity to learn more about and experience home birth.
CONTACT:
Clinical Placement Administrator
Email julie.evans@vuw.ac.nz
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ARA INSTITUTE OF CANTERBURY
STUDENTS BASED IN:
Tasman, Nelson, Marbourough, West Coast, Canterbury and South Canterbury Regions.
If you are interested in sharing your pregnancy and birth with a first year midwifery student, please get in touch with the midwifery school to discuss having a student involved in your journey.
CONTACT:
Email deptofhealthpractice@ara.ac.nz
0800 24 24 76
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OTAGO POLYTECHNIC
STUDENTS BASED IN:
Dunedin, Oamaru, Central Otago, Southland, Wellington, Kapiti Coast, Whanganui, Palmerston North and Wairarapa.
To find out more about having a midwifery student involved in your childbirth experience and to obtain a hard copy or PDF consent form, please contact the School of Midwifery:
CONTACT:
Email MidwiferyPlacements@op.ac.nz
0800 762 786
Visit their Website