Women can choose to give birth at Waitakere Hospital if they have low risk pregnancies and are over 32 weeks gestation. Women who are expected to have complications requiring a 24-hour blood bank service or an intensive care unit are advised to give birth at North Shore Hospital. Women who have high risk pregnancies or complications that require tertiary-level care will be seen by Auckland City Hospital’s National Women’s Health. Waitakere Hospital’s maternity facilities and services include the following services.

An antenatal clinic - Clinics are held for consultations with specialist obstetricians, physicians or anaesthetists if required.

Childbirth education classes and postnatal classes - For more information about the classes held at Waitakere Hospital, please call the number for Childbirth Education Courses listed on our contacts page.

Birthing facilities - Waitakere Hospital has two birthing areas featuring a total of eight birthing rooms and one water birth pool.

Postnatal wards - Waitakere Hospital has two postnatal wards - Te Henga and Piha – which feature a total of 30 postnatal beds. The average length of stay for women who have had a normal vaginal delivery is two days. The average length of stay for women who have had a Caesarean Section is three to five days. The postnatal areas feature a lounge room and kitchenettes. Women are encouraged to use the lounge area if they have a number of visitors at one time. Other services include:

• A physiotherapist carries out individual daily visits with women in the maternity unit. This physiotherapist is also available for individual consultation and treatment assistance during pregnancy and for women experiencing physical postnatal problems
• Waitemata DHB’s midwives have all received education in breastfeeding management and can help women to successfully establish breastfeeding. In addition a lactation consultant visits the maternity unit to offer women and their babies one-to-one assistance. The lactation consultant also runs practical breastfeeding classes for mothers
• Social workers are available and can provide information on community support services. They run a Young Mums Group every Wednesday and are available for counselling and to provide advocacy services. The service is free of charge and operates within the hospital on weekdays from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Privacy is respected at all times
• Te Puna O Te Ora Services provide cultural support to Maori women and their whanau, providing access to health, advocacy and the appropriate support services where required. Te Puna O Te Ora Services can provide further information about a number of community programmes available
• The Asian Health Support Service brings together a variety of support networks for members of the Asian community, bridging the gap between health professionals and women and their families.
• A Pacific Island Community Liaison worker who advocates and liaises between members of Pacific Island communities and the maternity unit to ensure ease of access for women and their families.

Lead Maternity Carers - Every pregnant woman has the right to choose a professional Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) who provides her with continuity of care throughout her pregnancy. This includes regular antenatal check-ups, care during the labour and birth, and continuing check-ups - both in the hospital and at home - for up to six weeks after the birth. The LMC is totally responsible for co-ordinating the woman’s care, which may include referring her to other services as necessary. LMCs can be self-employed midwives, employed midwives, private obstetricians or general practitioners.

Information about LMCs and choosing a LMC is available from MAMA (Mothers and Midwives Associated):

MAMA Maternity Information Services
PO Box 56-182
Dominion Road
Auckland
Phone: AK 629 5163    Fax AK 629 5167
E-mail: mamaltd@ihug.co.nz
 

Know Your Midwives (KYM) Scheme - The KYM team is comprised of 10 midwives who provide women living in West Auckland with LMC services. KYM midwives are independent midwives who provide 24-hour care and work both in the community and in the hospital. To ensure continuity of care, each KYM midwife works in partnership with another midwife so that cover is always available.

Maori midwifery team - Waitakere Hospital has a Maori midwife service comprised of four Maori midwives who work together to provide a full range of Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) services, including 24-hour care for their clients. Their focus is on respect for the individual woman and an acknowledgement of the importance of Tinana, Hinengaro, Wairua and Whanau.

Visiting hours - To ensure that women have the opportunity to rest, visitors are encouraged to keep to the visiting times below:

• Partners may visit between 8.00am - 8.00pm
• General visiting is between 2.00pm - 8.00pm
• Mother's rest period is from 12.30pm - 2.00pm daily
• Discharge time is at 11.00am.

We ask that visitors respect women in shared rooms and keep the number of bedside visitors to a minimum.

Check out time - Check out time on the day of discharge is 11.00am. Women who cannot be collected by the check out time are welcome to stay in the lounge, and make use of the kitchen and beverage facilities until a more convenient time.