Chat on the Chathams

In 2020, my partner Kenny and I faced one of our greatest challenges as a couple. At eleven weeks pregnant with our first child, I miscarried. We were devastated. Unlike on the mainland, where a quick ultrasound can be performed, we had to wait for three rounds of blood tests to be flown to New Zealand, and two weeks for the doctor to finally confirm and make the call that I was no longer pregnant. Far from my family home in Central Otago, with no professional support on-island at the time and very little privacy from island whispers, Kenny and I just had each other to lean on. It was a heart-breaking experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

A few months later, we fell pregnant again. I was a nervous wreck for most of the pregnancy. All in all, though, my pregnancy was straight forward, and in June 2021 we welcomed Lauren. Not long after, in September 2022, Hunter arrived. Our family is complete and filled with love.

The Chatham Islands has a reasonably well-equipped medical centre with 6–8 full time nurses and support staff and a different doctor every 6–12 weeks. The island midwife – Jacqui – has been servicing the Chathams for many years now. She flies in from Wellington once or twice a month, depending on the number of pregnant women and their stages of pregnancy. All going well – and provided you are not high risk or having multiples – at thirty-six weeks pregnant, you haul yourself and your family onto the plane and head to the mainland to await the arrival of your baby. For some, there is the option of giving birth on the Chatham Islands, but this very rarely happens and there are a number of factors that need to line up to be eligible.

You can choose where you wish to birth, so I headed to my family home in Roxburgh. I walked, swam, ate curry, and drank lots of hot chocolates at the local café as I patiently waited for our babies to make their entrance. Finally, when the time came, I gave birth at a wonderful small birthing unit in Alexandra with an amazing team of midwives. Of course, not everyone is lucky enough to have family willing to put them up for 4–6 weeks. Some wait it out within motel rooms or other rented accommodation. This, along with meals out, travel, food and partners being away from work for up to four weeks means it can be a huge ask for families financially.