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Wanaka mum says she was 'incredibly lucky' nothing went wrong after giving birth in midwife's office

June 11, 2019

There have been a number of dramatic births down south lately, leading some to call for better services.

There's been another dramatic arrival in the Far South, with a baby born on the floor of a midwife's office.

Kristi James delivered a healthy 4.1-kilogram baby last Thursday and says she was "incredibly lucky" nothing went wrong.

"Someone else will not be so lucky. I am incredibly thankful it wasn't me," Ms James told TVNZ1's Seven Sharp.

"We are putting women and babies in an incredible amount of danger for no reason.

"All we need to have is a primary birthing unit that has all the equipment needed for any kind of complications. What we really need is a hospital closer by."

Ms James is trying to do something to help other expectant mums in Wanaka.

"I founded the community group Save Our Wanaka Midwives after the town was left with only one midwife more than a year ago.

"The District Health Board has been trying to help, but it's not close to enough. We are back up to two midwives but there are over 200 women with planned births in the area," she says.

It's not the first dramatic birth story of late. Another baby was born on the side of the road in Central Otago just weeks earlier.

Health Minister David Clark said last year he asked the Ministry to review the Southern District Health Board’s plans.

"I received an assurance those plans were sound," he said.

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