A group of mothers, personal trainers, and physiotherapists have joined together to try to address New Zealand’s lack of post-birth care. Here’s why. In the year ending March 2020, 59,238 people gave birth. Many of them (more than you’d think) will suffer from urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse. When you give birth you roll the … Read more
New Zealanders have been rightly horrified by Trump’s camps separating children from their parents. Are we similarly outraged by the illegal detention by the Australian government of babies and mothers? Thalia Kehoe Rowden spoke to some mums living in Nauru, waiting for years to be welcomed to a new country. Content note: this article contains … Read more
Deep breaths, in and out: Emily Writes has you. There’s so much advice out there about how to have the perfect birth. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of books; many, many blogs by experts whose qualifications are “gave birth once” or “haven’t given birth but have lots of opinions” or my personal … Read more
At The Spinoff Parents we are committed to publishing stories of parents who have struggled with poor mental health in the hopes that others will see they’re not alone and we can break the stigma of mental illness in parenting. Here Kelsie Moroney shares her story of overcoming PTSD after a traumatic birth. Content warning: This post contains … Read more
New Zealand’s midwife shortage has been in the news a lot in the past week – but the working conditions of midwives has been an issue for much, much longer. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes asked midwives to talk about why they do the vital work that they do. It’s a job few would sign … Read more
Having sex can be daunting after childbirth for most mothers. But what do you do when it doesn’t get easier? Cassia Mor writes about her quest to finally have sex without pain. I thought the recovery from my child’s birth would be easier than the birth itself. I was wrong. My baby was born by … Read more
Birth trauma is a very real issue in New Zealand. Francesca Jones shares the story of her daughter’s birth and insists we realise we must approach this issue differently to protect vulnerable mothers. Content warning: This post is an account of birth trauma and contains a graphic depiction of a near-fatal birth. We share these stories on … Read more