Cherie Davis

As a first time mum I didn't know what to expect for the pregnancy or the birth. Cherie was fantastic, giving me the advice of what to expect and reassured me that what I was experiencing was normal. I had thought about my birthing plan and if I could do it drug free I wanted to (but still kept my mind open to other options should I have to).

The pregnancy went well, baby was sitting in the right position to give birth for the final 4 months and it was looking great. I went into labour on Sunday night around 7pm with a few mild contractions, over the night we kept a record and by 7am in the morning I felt it was time to call Cherie, she came and did a check up and I was 6cm's feeling comfortable with how it had gone so far so we stayed at home. A couple of showers and Alistair giving me massages felt fantastic, heat packs also did wonders for those contractions. A further 2 hours went by before ringing her again and heading into hospital, meeting Cherie and student midwife Brita. Once we arrived at Waitakere I had reached 8cm's (going on that factor of the contractions, we were expecting to see our little girl within the next couple of hours or so). However by this time she had turned over and we were spine to spine, so had to try and move her around using different positions. I also hopped into the pool at this stage with the gas as pain relief, unfortunately after the next check I had gone backwards and was only 6cm's again!!! On this factor I was recommended to perhaps have some Pethadine to help relax me. As the day went on, not a lot was happening, so at 5.30pm I was given the option of an Epidural, as a contractions weren't speeding up and to avoid as much as possible having a Caesarean I was given Oxytosone to bring on the contractions. At this point having all pain relief that was offered to me, we just sat and waited for the contractions to come on. It wasn't until the charge nurse came in around 8.30pm to do a check up and we noticed a little head starting to appear. Once this was seen, it was all on, I started pushing and 10-15minutes later and the help of Cherie, Brita and Alistair we were holding our gorgeous little girl Samara. It was amazing, Alistair even helped deliver her, holding her head as she came into the world and cutting the cord, a wonderful experience for him also and such a proud daddy today. Thanks to Cherie and Brita the birth went well and with her knowledge I managed no tears, with a healthy 3.945kg baby girl (2 days after my due date), I thought this was just an added bonus.

Through the pregnancy, birth and postnataly experience Cherie was brilliant, making me feel comfortable with all decisions I made, knowledgeable, trusting and calm. I highly recommend her and we look forward to seeing her again in another couple of years when we plan to have our next child. I really can't thank her enough for all the support she has given to me and I think she is such an amazing, strong woman.

LITTLE LEVI BORN AT HOME
My birthing experience was a very positive one, as I had a drug free, home birth with the help and support of my partner Justin, mum Prue, step dad Charlie and certainly Cherie and Tracey.

I had actually planned to go to Birthcare Parnell to deliver my baby but when active labour began at my mother's house in Kumeu at 8.30pm, I suddenly decided to stay there as it felt like the right thing to do. Justin timed my contractions (45sec long and a minute apart!) and then mum called Cherie.

Cherie then arrived not long after and checked how much I was dilated (7-8cm!). After a few more intense hours of contractions with two warm baths and a lot of deep breathing, little Levi was born at 5.30am on his due date!

All went well besides me standing up and snapping the umbilical cord!! Cherie managed this well by grabbing both ends of the cord and getting my mum to find the clamp! Levi had received all the blood and nutrients luckily and was born a healthy 3.5kg.

Even though I was a first time mum, I was confident throughout the pregnancy and labour that I could birth naturally, and Cherie encouraged this confidence.

I chose Cherie because she seemed cool, calm and collected. She remained so during the labour and birth process, and this was very important to me.

Cherie was also very encouraging to my mother and partner to be involved and they really appreciated this. She also made me feel comfortable and secure in making the decision to stay and birth at home even though it was not the original birth plan.

I would recommend Cherie to all mothers and will certainly ask her to be my midwife for my next child.

As a first time mum, I don't have any personal experience to compare my birth experience with, however by all anecdotal accounts from friends and family, it was a relatively easy birth. I was due Friday 30th Jan and birthed naturally on Sunday 1st Feb. Labour started early on Sunday morning (around 2am) and progressed very quickly. By 6am I was in at North Shore hospital where Cherie was finishing up with another client.

By 7am I was in the pool and at 10.02am our wee boy was born into the water, completely drug free. Not being North Shore residents, we were not able to stay at the hospital longer than a few hours after the birth and we were unable to get into Helensville birth centre due to it being full to the brim. So by 3pm that same day, we were back at home in Muriwai; which is where we have been since.

So far all is going well (touch wood). We're trying to get some semblance of order but conscious that both Fletch and us are still coming to terms with all the changes to our lives.

I've spent a little of my "down time" (i.e. when Fletch has been sleeping) to reflect on why I had such a good birthing experience and I put it down to a few simple factors. The most important of which was having the advice and support of Cherie as my midwife.

From our first meeting I knew she would be someone I could trust. Straight to the point, able to impart knowledge and insight - always without judging , and geniunely interested in ensuring I could birth my child naturally.

Cherie was the first person to assure me it was ok to keep exercising, to stay fit, to keep living my life. This meant I was well prepared for the marathon effort of labour. She kept us informed of what we need to do to help our baby get in position, to keep him happy and healthy. During labour she took me from frightened and uptight to relaxed and even at one point, while fully dialated and trying to push out our boy, laughing and humoured.

Cherie Davis really is a genius and generous woman, in pregnancy, during labour and post birth. I couldn't recommend her enough.

Cherie was our midwife during the pregnancy and birth of our son Oliver. Cherie was a fantastic support during this time. Cherie is passionate about what she does and has a lovely nature that ensures you feel calm and well looked after the whole way through. Cherie is very knowledgeable and offers a great level of care and consideration in her practice. I am sure the birth of Oliver would have not been as hassle and complication free had it not been for Cherie's loving and calming nature.

I highly recommend Cherie and the Close to Nature team to all mothers to be.