The expecting mother said she started calling midwives as soon as she found out she was pregnant. Photo / Getty Images
An expectant Tauranga mother has spoken out about her battle to find a midwife amid the shortage hitting the region, describing the experience as "mentally draining" and "super stressful".
Another woman, who gave birth a few weeks ago, said she contacted more than 20 midwives in the Bay of Plenty and gave birth at Tauranga Hospital because no midwives were available.
It comes as the Bethlehem Birthing Centre says a midwife shortage in the Bay is "dire" and has been "getting worse over a long period of time".
The expectant mother in Tauranga, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she started calling midwives "straight away" when she found out she was pregnant.
She "luckily" found one after calling about 10 midwives but due to the vaccine mandate, ended up losing her.
The woman said it was "frustrating" to lose her midwife "over something that should have been a choice for myself and my midwife".
"If I had an issue with her not being vaccinated I should [have] been able to say I don't want you to be my midwife.
"But I didn't have an issue with her being vaccinated … and would [have] happily continued to have her as my midwife.
"The added stress of then having to find another midwife and wondering what will happen if I didn't find one was mentally draining and super stressful."
She said it was "a huge relief" once her midwife found someone who could take over her caseload and "wouldn't wish the stress" of finding a midwife on anyone.
First-time mother Suzanne Barker found out she was pregnant in May and also started contacting midwives straight away.
"We contacted over 20 midwives in the Bay of Plenty … and nobody was available for us," the 34-year-old said.
"It was actually a pretty stressful event because we [didn't] know what we were meant to do in that regard."
She ended up going through the hospital system after speaking to friends who told them this was an option.
"But of course you don't have that sort of one-on-one with an actual midwife that you see through from day dot to when you have [the baby] and after with the post-natal."
Barker said not getting an independent midwife "takes away the opportunity where you would like to give birth".
But Barker said she had "excellent medical care" at the hospital even though she saw different midwives there.
In her view, midwives at the hospital were "under a lot of pressure" due to the shortage of independent midwives, but they did "an amazing job".
Belinda Barnes, 37, said she was "definitely one of the luckier ones" in securing a midwife.
Her three children were born at the Bethlehem Birthing Centre, with her youngest being 5-and-a-half months old.
Barnes said her midwife was "so in demand she was turning people away".
"I've had friends who haven't been able to have midwives so have had to go through the hospital route and just get who they get."
Bethlehem Birthing Centre founder Chloe Wright said the midwife shortage in the Bay of Plenty was "dire" and had been "getting worse over a long period of time".
One reason why midwives had been lost was because a higher workload fell on those who remained who would then become more stressed and leave, Wright said.
Another was the vaccine mandate, with the centre losing three "very valuable" midwives.
The shortage was "really tough" on remaining midwives.
"They're supporting each other as much as they can but at some point, it may break."
As a result of the shortage, expecting mothers were "living in fear".
They were "constantly calling" asking where they could find a midwife and saying they could not find one.
Wright said there was not enough "emphasis on the value of the midwife" - not financially but on the "relationship of women".
Midwives offered "invaluable" support to women because they were there from the beginning of pregnancy.
A Bethlehem Birthing Centre team midwife, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they were getting "lots more phone calls" because women even at six weeks pregnant could not find a midwife.
Some women at 30 weeks realised they would have to birth at the hospital and did not want to, she said.
"They would love to come here, but of course they can't because they don't have midwives."
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said vaccination was a "critical part" of keeping pregnant people and maternity workers safe.
"The health and wellbeing of pregnant women/people and their babies is of paramount importance and we know they are at greater risk of poor outcomes if infected with Covid-19."
The spokesperson said only a "very small proportion" of midwives stopped practising because of the mandate and 67 per cent of midwives were boosted.
The ministry, DHBs and the maternity sector were working together to minimise the impact of any potential temporary disruptions to maternity services caused by its response to the Covid pandemic, the spokesperson said.