Whanganui lawyer gives birth to first local baby of new year after dramatic night

Julia Fyers holds her baby Waikare Māia Hiku Fyers, born on January 1. Photo / Laurel Stowell

New Year's Eve took Julia Fyers from a tent at Waverley Beach, with fireworks going off around it, to the maternity ward at Whanganui Hospital and the birth of her second daughter.

"It was drama all right," Fyers said.

The Whanganui criminal defence lawyer was eight months pregnant and camping at Waverley Beach Campground with her cousin Zami Fyers and friend Ina Pickering. The fireworks were landing really close to their tent on New Year's Eve but Fyers was so tired that she went to sleep anyway.

She woke to find her waters had broken. Her cousin had to rush her to Whanganui Hospital, with Fyers yelling as the contractions came one minute apart.

Her baby, Waikare Māia Hiku Fyers, was born 52 minutes after they arrived, with Fyers unable to have any pain relief because everything was happening so quickly.

There are a lot of ones and twos in little Waikare's statistics so far. She was born at 2.12am on January 1, and weighed 2210g (4lb 14oz in imperial measures).

She was breathing and perfectly healthy.

"She came out and went straight on the breast," Fyers said.

Waikare had been a very active baby, kicking and flipping in utero. She was due to be induced on January 5 because clinicians were concerned about her small size.

Fyers was "really, really scared" prior to the birth. Her first daughter, Allegra, was blue when born and needed help. Also, Fyers was in Whanganui and away from family.

She went to Whanganui Hospital on the afternoon of December 31 and talked to midwife Bev Jansen about her situation. Fyers said Jansen calmed her down and sent her back to Waverley, which she appreciated, and Jansen was also on hand at the hospital for the birth.

Fyers was grateful for all the help she had received. She and baby Waikare will stay in hospital a little longer - until Waikare puts on weight and proves she can maintain the right temperature. Then Fyers will take her to Northland, where her big sister Allegra is staying with family as she does every holidays.

Allegra, 14, boards at Whanganui Collegiate School because her mother works full-time. She was happy about the new baby but had rung Fyers "to make sure that firstborns are always the favourites".

"I told her it's their job to look after the second born," Fyers said.

Waikare is named after a large lake at the Te Kauwhata farm Fyers' family owns. The Māia part of her name is after an uncle Heremaia, and Hiku is the name of her father, who is in Auckland.

Fyers has a masters degree in law and has been working full-time as a criminal lawyer for Treadwell Gordon since January 2019. She's planning to go back to work when Waikare is three months old and has enrolled her at Te Kohanga Reo o Mangawhero.