If you have experienced the midwifery services of either Julie Carlyon, Nelly Hooper or Kelly Manninen please feel free to add to this page your experience with the Midwives of Midwives for You. To do this you just need to click on the comments link just above this text. Once you have done this we just need to publish it. This is necessary to make sure the spammers are not being a pain.
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#1 by Jacinda Younger on May 6, 2008 - 5:59 pm
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We have recently had our first child with the help of Nelly Hooper as our midwife. This is just a quick note to anyone who is looking for a midwife who is extremely competent, experienced and articulate, Nelly’s your girl! (No she did not pay us to say that!!!!!)
We were naturally as first timers very nervous. We had read all there is to read, had a million questions and were I’m sure quite demanding patients in that regard. But Nelly reassured us that as first time parents we were 1. not complete freaks in being that way it was quite normal and 2. it was our right as parents to be to be completely neurotic!
Such reassurance I can tell you made all the difference! At no time did Nelly make us feel stupid or a pain in butt for wanting to ask all these questions and she absolutely understood that we were just trying to make educated decisions and do our best for our precious bundle.
For all of you first timers out there that are concerned about the process and how to know who is a fabulous midwife, I can assure you that Nelly was just fantastic! I can even say that having gone through the dreaded induction and thanx to Nelly come out of the other side with our perfect daughter and Mum unscathed!
Then after all that Nelly’s true form stepped up another notch even still as her support at home after the birth in offering non intrusive and “only asked for” advice and supporting our parenting decisions which were made with our childs very best interests in mind was just phenomenal, we simply could not have asked for more!
Also when “our Nelly” as she came to be known was on a weekend off, we were covered by Julie Carlyon or Bridget Henderson who were also fantastic and filled the gap with absolute professionalism, knowledge and were just wonderful.
All in all the team at Martin Street in general work so well together and you can rest assured that you are getting the “A Team” when it comes to this nerve wracking and precious time in your life.
Our very deepest thanx to them all.
Jacinda, Wayne and of course the wee tiger Claudia! xx
#2 by Kelly and Steven Nind on June 11, 2008 - 9:14 pm
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On mothers day this year we added a beautiful baby boy to our family. Ryan was born a healthy 8lb10oz with the help of Julie. After a past horrendous experiance with another midwife when we had our daughter we were a little hesitant when it came to finding a midwife, but we had absolutely nothing to worry about. Julie was a fantastic help throughout the pregnancy.
When it came time to labour and delivery she was very supportive and did everything in her power to make me feel at ease and when Ryan decided to grace the world posterier, she calmly talked me through it and managed to calm me down when i was losing it. Even when i was ‘ever so politely’ telling her it was a ‘tad painful’ and i wanted stronger drugs, she managed to get us there. (Thanks Julie)
And when Ryan had to be taken to Neonatal for a while, she was very reasuring. Because she was so nice we thought she could go home in time for a mothers day dinner!!!
We have been dredding letting Julie leave us after the handover as she has become a permanant fixture in our family and our hearts and she will always be welcome anytime. (A few tears were shed on her final departure!!!)
We highly recommend Julie and the team to all couples having a child and wish you all the best.
Thanks to Julie and her family for sharing her with us.
All the best for the future.
Lots of love from Kelly Steven Georgia and Ryan.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
#3 by Karina, Jason & Angus McDonough on June 23, 2008 - 12:20 am
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After finding out we were moving to Palmerston North from Blenheim at the beginning of this year, I set about trying to find a midwife for the birth of our first child. I was given Kelly’s contact details through the Maternity Resource Centre so thought I would give her a call. We met Kelly when I was 28 weeks pregnant and she had this way of making us feel at ease and that we could trust her yet still have a joke with her, extremely important to us considering what we were about to do becoming first time parents. I was missing the midwife I had in Blenheim and wished she could have moved up here with us for the birth but when we met Kelly that soon dissappeared, it was like she had been with us for the entire pregnancy. Kelly was the midwife for us. Her way of staying calm in a tricky situation was tested on April 21 when a 9lb 10oz baby boy decided he didn’t want to enter the world without some drama, Kelly remained calm and at no point did we feel there was any danger or anything wrong even when she calmly asked Jason to push the big red button on the wall (which so happened to cause 9 people to come tearing into the room at full speed).
We have missed the visits from Kelly (the last one was the hardest, if not a little emotional for me) and the advice she has given us over the time we were in her care, even the silly little questions that she always made time to answer and she always made sure we understood everything that was happening with the experience of having a child.
We definately recommend Kelly to anyone who is having a child in Palmerston North and if we are still here when it is time for number 2 to come along then we will be hunting Kelly down to be our midwife again.
Thank you Kelly for the opportunity to get to know you and for all you invaluable help with bringing Angus into our lives.
We miss you heaps and best of luck for the future.
Lots of love and hugs
Karina, Jason and Angus
#4 by Erin Guiney on July 1, 2008 - 2:26 pm
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I met Kelly in Lower Hutt when she was assigned my midwife. I was EXTREMLEY nervous about being a mum because it was my first child and I was only 17.
Kelly made sure that I was comfortable and that I was informed about everything that was happening and going to happen.
When it came to D-day I was 11 days overdue (they think), and really frustrated!! Kelly was there with me telling me about my progress. I ended up having a c-section at 12:49am my daughter Kady was born with a serious mop of hair on her head!!!
I am very grateful for Kelly’s help making the process so easy for me, being young and my first baby. I think shes an awesome midwife and reccommend her to any mum-2-be.
THANKS KELLY!!!
#5 by Belinda, Jared and Jessica Small on November 19, 2008 - 6:05 pm
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After a bit of a late dash to find a Midwife I was given the contact details of Kelly who was able to take me on due to her recent move back to the Manawatu. While Kelly was not my first choice for a midwife, I quickly found that she exceeded all my expectations.
Kelly is a professional, that is easy to see, but equally as important is her friendly and caring nature. Being pregnant for the first time can be stressful, but when dealing with Kelly I realised it can be a whole lot of fun too. During my pregnancy my husband and I found reassurance in knowing that Kelly could be relied upon and that she was always easily contactable.
Thank you Kelly for all your work over the last ten months. Be sure to save me a spot when it comes to our second!
Belinda
#6 by Rachel, Roger anf Fletcher Lee on January 13, 2009 - 10:46 pm
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We were so lucky to have Kelly as our midwife for the birth of our son Fletcher in November.
Kelly is amazing at what she does. She is great with people and worked with us in her completely natural, approachable and supportive way.
We felt completely informed at all times, especially when things started to get complicated! Kelly provided the information and encouragement we needed to make informed choices about pregnancy, birth and parenting and regularly went above and beyond the call of duty.
More than anything she was a huge contributor to an enjoyable pregnancy and retaining our sanity in those first few weeks. I always looked forward to appointments and visits and appreciated how inclusive she is with Dads.
We had to choose a caesarean birth in the end, but had I gone into labour there is no one else I would have wanted by my side! All in all, we have a very happy and healthy baby boy which is in no small part due to the care Kelly provided.
Thanks for all the effort you put into your work Kelly, couldn’t have done it without you!
#7 by Gaye, Jon & Sammy Adams on January 28, 2009 - 1:25 pm
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We found Kelly through this website, after getting a bit panicky that all the good midwives had been taken. But there was no need to panic after all because she ended up being a fabulous midwife. We gave birth to our little boy Sammy on 19th November 2008. Throughout the whole pregnancy, birth, and aftercare Kelly was excellent. The best things about her I found, were her approachability, the fact that she was supportive through whatever decision we made (and there were alot of decisions to be made!), and her experience and knowledge of the whole process. Thanks Kelly for being there for us, and we would totally recommend you to anybody out there looking for a fantastic midwife.
#8 by Kelly Hayden and jack barnett on August 25, 2009 - 2:02 pm
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Funny enough i was given julies name as a midwife and she wasnt able to take me on so KELLY came to the rescue.
From the first time meeting her hayden and i liked her and decided to stick with her. she ended up being a fab midwife. she is very caring and supportive and i really enjoyed our visits ( lots of laughs ). jack was born on the 15th july 2009 weighing in at 8 pnds 5. it was an interesting experience for me being a first time mum but over all i enjoyed it. ( now thats its all over ).
kelly we will miss ur smiley face and regular visits but i will now know who to get for the second time around.
take care and much love xoxox
#9 by Erin, Dan and Katie Larosn on September 15, 2009 - 2:11 pm
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I was given Julie’s name from a friend whom had used Julie twive. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I called Julie to meet with her. Straight away I felt relaxed and comfortable with Julie and decided to have her as my midwife. I had no problems with anything I asked Julie, and during my pregnancy I was very relaxed, and was ready for anything. I was sure right through I did not want an epidural – Julie told me she could not do them which made it easier for me. When it came to the labour Julie could not be there, so I had Nelly who was lovely – I ended up having a C-Section but not having the epidural. I was pleased with my outcome and loved having the support from Julie. Julie has been awesome since Katie was born. I would recommend Julie to anyone and will have Julie the next time round. Julie you are amazing and a wonderful lady and helped my pregnancy be the best I could have ever imagened. Thank you. You will be missed.
#10 by Kiri Potter, Jeff and Marcel Engels on November 9, 2009 - 9:11 pm
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Kelly’s name was mentioned to me by a friend so I went for a hunt online and found her on here. I like the look so I decided to go and meet her. From the moment we sat down (albeit briefly) I felt comfortable and knew that she was “the one”. She was open and honest with me right from the start and was great at putting my nervous first time mum mind to ease.
Once I went into labour Kelly was great. She came and saw me at home to check on me. Once we got up to hospital she was actually already there with another lady but came and examined me and explained that she’d have to call her back up. Luckily for me Kelly was able to make it a lot sooner than she thought. She was also great after we came home and was always on the end of the phone and never made you feel guilty about ringing in the middle of the night.
I will most definitely be having Kelly again for my next and recommend her to all my friends
#11 by Amanda, Nathan, Aria and Leilani Taiaroa on January 21, 2010 - 10:48 pm
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After having a horrendous time finding a midwife who would take me on, at 12 weeks in my first pregnancy Julie came to my rescue.
I was at once drawn to Julies down to earth and relaxed nature and my first pregancy went by without a hitch.
When it came time to welcome my baby into the world, to my horro I found out that it was Julies weekend off, stressed that the person I had put all my trust in was not going to be there, I panicked as I rang Nelly as I didn’t know her at all.
I was a tough patient throughout my time in that delivery room with her, but Nelly was patient and amazing, even as I lost alot of blood after the birth, and helped us welcome Aria into our lives.
Late the next year when we found out we were expecting again, I knew that the only person I wanted with us was again Julie.
Once again I had a trouble free pregnancy, and as my due date passed, Julies weekend off was only 2 days away. As I went into labour on the Sunday I was so upset that Julie wasn’t going to deliver my second baby either, however she had told me to text in case she could make it, and a minute later I was on the phone to her as she sacrificed what was left of her weekend to deliver in a rather easy 2 and a half hours little Leilani.
Julie has given me the motivation to pursue a career in Midwifery myself, something I always wanted to do, but, thought I never could. But with her encouragement and support I’m due to start studying in 2012 when the girls are a bit bigger.
So Julie thank you on so many different levels, and for anyone who is after a genuine caring midwife who will always have you feeling at ease, here is my recommendation for Julie!
#12 by Leesa, Scott and Breanna on June 14, 2010 - 10:46 pm
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Choosing a midwife was an important decision for me and so glad I made the right choice with Kelly. ‘Trust’ is such a huge requirement in a midwife as not only is it your own health but the health of your baby in someone elses hands. ‘Trust’ is exactly what we got.
I had complications throughout my pregnancy but Kelly was always cautious and if there was any doubt with any test she would always ensure it was followed up to make sure my health and our babies health were never at risk.
The labour was not text book and I was too sick to remember some parts but know I was never once scared as I completely trusted Kelly and knew she would make sure that myself and our baby were safe. My husband remembers how in control and professional Kelly was referring us onto the Doctors for an emergency caeserean when things were not progressing. Kelly visited every day in hospital and when I was readmitted 10 days later, her smiley face always put me at ease.
Kelly has a wealth of knowledge and throughout the preganancy would give us pamphlets, recommend us books on breastfeeding etc so we felt we were beginning our journey as informed parents.
Kelly’s follow up care after the labour was amazing. She was so patient with teaching breast feeding, caring for Breanna and she use to answer lists of questions I would save up for her visit and not once did she make me feel silly for asking anything.
I highly recommend Kelly to anyone. She is a very kind, caring and compassionate person who is truely passionate about her job. A job which I noted can be very emotionally draining when dealing with a number of woman at one time whose hormones are running rampant!! The passion she has for her chosen career shines through with her bubbly personality and sense of humour she has in ensuring that first time parents really get her undivided attention.
Thank you Kelly for being on the journey with us to bring our gorgeous daughter Breanna into the world. It was a wonderful partnership and a first time experience I will always treasure. I can’t wait to have you deliver our future babies.
May your future be full of laughter, love and one day your own bundles of joy!
Love Leesa, Scott and Breanna xx