Helensville Birthing Centre

20/11/2025

We are still buzzing!

And the WINNER in the Not for Profit / Social Enterprise category is...

Helensville Birthing Centre

Congratulations!

Judges comments:
“Trusted, people-centred care with genuine innovation and growth.” And “The Helensville Birthing Centre is a testament to a community with love and care who wanted to provide a valued community resource. The initiatives that you have introduced are phenomenal; especially the drop in clinics, immunisations and human milk bank with pasteurisation and your focus on allowing mothers to stay connected and not suffer from isolation. Your entire organisation is about care and this comes across very strongly. A top application that really showcases the love, care, and commitment of the team to the community, and how the community is benefitting from this.”

18/11/2025

Still absolutely buzzing after last night! ✨
We’re so proud to announce that we won our category at the Northwest Country Business Awards… and we were hit with the most incredible surprise — the People’s Choice Award with 11,000 votes! 🤯💛

A huge thank you to our amazing team at HBC. Every single one of you contributes to moments like this. Your heart, dedication, and mahi are what make achievements like this possible. We are so, so lucky to have you. 💛

To our incredible community — thank you for your love, support, and every single vote. Being chosen as People’s Choice is a massive honour and means the world to us. 🫶🏼

And to our board of directors and the Helensville Health Trust — thank you for your guidance, belief, and continued support. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

We are truly on CLOUD 9!!! ☁️💛✨

North West Country business association

15/11/2025

✨ Staff Breastfeeding Education Session ✨
This week we were treated to an incredible session with the amazing Debbie — and honestly, her talent knows no limits!

The night before she hand-crafted a newborn teaching doll complete with highlighted neurological sensors that stimulate different newborn reflexes… all of which play such an important role in breastfeeding. The detail, the passion, the creativity — absolutely mind-blowing.

Debbie has this beautiful way of making education engaging, practical, and fun, and we are so very lucky to have her sharing her gifts with us and our whānau.

Here’s to endless learning, inspired teaching, and a team that pours their whole heart into supporting breastfeeding 🌸🩷✨

05/11/2025

🎉✨ 20 YEARS OF NATALIE! ✨🎉

Today we celebrate our amazing RN Natalie, who marks 20 incredible years at Helensville Birthing Centre! 🩺💐

Natalie is one of those rare gems — passionate, caring, and deeply dedicated to every whānau she supports. 💖 Her warmth, skill, and calm presence have made her loved by colleagues and families alike (and honestly… we can’t imagine HBC without her!).

Natalie, thank you for your exceptional care, your heart of gold, and your two decades of incredible service. You are truly one of a kind ❤️

P.S. We’re still not accepting your resignation, so don’t even think about it 😂

04/11/2025

✨ Skin-to-skin: every baby’s birth right ✨

At Helensville Birthing Centre, we believe skin-to-skin contact isn’t just a “nice to have” — it’s a fundamental right for every pēpi and parent.

📘 A landmark Cochrane Review (Moore et al., 2023) found that placing a healthy newborn directly on their parent’s bare chest immediately or early after birth provides powerful benefits — for both baby and family.

💫 Top 5 reasons we champion skin-to-skin:
👶 1️⃣ Better physiological stability – Helps regulate baby’s temperature, heart rate, and breathing; reduces hypothermia risk and supports a smooth transition into life outside the womb.
🤱 2️⃣ Improved breastfeeding outcomes – Promotes effective latching and increases exclusive breastfeeding rates at 1 and 6 months, while boosting oxytocin and milk production.
💗 3️⃣ Stronger bonding and attachment – Enhances oxytocin for both baby and parent, easing anxiety, building confidence, and nurturing trust. (Dads and partners can do this too!)
💤 4️⃣ Calmer, more settled babies – Babies cry less, sleep longer, and show more stable glucose levels, helping families enjoy gentler early days together.
🩺 5️⃣ Long-term health and developmental gains – Linked with stronger immunity, growth, and neurodevelopment, especially for preterm infants.

🌿 Why it matters at HBC:
• Builds connection and confidence from the very first touch
• Creates safer, calmer birth transitions
• Reflects our commitment to respectful, evidence-based maternity care
• Empowers every parent to give that first critical cuddle

At Helensville Birthing Centre, we’re here to make sure your baby’s first moments are gentle, supported, and filled with warmth.
Let’s make skin-to-skin the norm — not the exception. 💕

15/10/2025

Today, we stand alongside families in Aotearoa and around the world to remember the babies who could not stay.

At 7pm, we invite you to light a candle in remembrance and join the Wave of Light — a shared moment of love, grief, and connection that circles the globe. 🕯️

Our hearts are with every whānau touched by pregnancy and infant loss. 💜

09/10/2025

✨ Mental Health Awareness ✨

FRIDAY - How will you keep learning today and beyond?

Keep Learning refers to ‘exercising our mind’ – almost like taking our brain to the gym. Learning something new together with friends or whānau can boost motivation, enhance understanding and offer a sense of shared growth and discovery.

Here are some of the ways you can keep learning today:

Join a class or group – learn an instrument, join a book club or put on your dancing shoes and learn some new moves.
Organise a lunch and learn session with your hoamahi. Arrange for a speaker to come in, or ask a colleague to present on a topic that they are interested in.
Why not team up with your whānau and take on a new challenge? Experiment in the kitchen with a new recipe, give that forgotten furniture a glow-up, or explore the beauty of learning a new language.
Learn something new about your hometown or local area – talk to your whānau and neighbours, check out local history societies, pukapuka/books or do an online rangahau/search.
Do some puzzles! Crosswords, sudoku, riddles are all great ways to exercise the mind.
Evidence suggests that learning or trying new things creates a sense of achievement, competence and stimulates engagement with the world around us.

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08/10/2025

✨ Mental Health Awareness Week ✨

THURSDAY - What will you take notice of today?

Take Notice refers to the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness can be thought of as open and receptive attention to, and awareness of, what is occurring in the present moment. There is robust scientific evidence supporting mindfulness practice as beneficial to our hauora (mental, physical, spiritual, social/relationships). Practicing mindfulness with others can deepen connection and enhance our collective sense of wellbeing.

Here are some of the ways you can take notice today:

Savour and share the small things or moments in your day that brought you joy.
If you have work meetings today, begin with a karakia/prayer or short reflection (eg. an inspiring quote) followed by a brief silent period, allowing your hoamahi to breathe mindfully and bring their full attention into the room.
Head along to a yoga class or find one on YouTube.
Practice some gratitude. Activities such as writing gratitude letters, journaling or reflecting on things to be thankful for, are linked to improved emotional wellbeing, life satisfaction, and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Go for walk with a friend and take notice of your surroundings – the sounds, sights, smells and textures. You could do the five senses awareness exercise together – share something you see, feel, hear, taste and smell (e.g. the feeling of sunshine on your face, the smell of a spring flower).

Top up your wellbeing by being present - use today as a reminder to pay more attention to the present moment, to your thoughts and feelings, and to others around you.

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07/10/2025

✨ Mental Health Awareness Week ✨

WEDNESDAY - What steps will you take toward being active today?

Being active is not only important for our physical wellbeing, it’s also a powerful mood booster. Moving our tinana/body can reduce stress and anxiety levels, promote relaxation and enhance overall mental resilience. Being active with whānau and friends can boost motivation, strengthen social bonds, and make physical activity more enjoyable.

Here are some of the ways you can be active today:

Get your energy flowing and have fun with whānau or friends. Teach your mum or aunty a new TikTok dance. Not only will it get your heart rate up, but it's also a chance to connect with each other.
Grab your mates and organise a friendly sports match at a local park. Not only will you get a good workout, you’ll also be able to have fun and connect with your friends too.
Have an impromptu kanikani/dance party with your whānau, flatmates or pets. Play your favourite tunes, sing as loud as you can, and get your body moving.
Being active doesn’t have to mean working out. Vacuuming the house, gardening, or playing tag with your kids can all count.
Instead of having hui in the tari/office, get some fresh air and go for a walking meeting outside.

Being active can make us feel good, and it helps us feel connected with our communities. Physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones, which can uplift your mood and increase feelings of happiness.

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06/10/2025

✨ Mental Health Awareness Week ✨

TUESDAY - How will you give to others today?

Give is about kindness, altruism, or generosity. Carrying out acts of kindness boosts our happiness, life satisfaction, and overall wellbeing. When we help others, it gives us purpose and a sense of belonging. Sharing acts of kindness and your time with others can strengthen relationships and create a ripple effect of positivity.

Here are some of the ways you can give today:

Give a smile to a stranger today. Why not top up their wellbeing, and yours?
Volunteer in your community, or donate items you are no longer using to a charity shop.
Bake something yummy to share with your hoamahi/colleagues at morning tea time.
Help a friend out by mowing their lawn, preparing a meal for them, or offering to mind their tamariki for the afternoon.
Stop to let a car into the traffic in front of you. Watch the chain reaction of courtesy!

What better time than Mental Health Awareness Week to Top Up Together by doing something nice for your friends, whānau or colleagues?

05/10/2025

✨ Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re joining the kōrero on wellbeing and the little things that make a big difference ✨

MONDAY - How will you connect with others today?

Connect refers to making social connections, or whakawhanaungatanga. A sense of feeling connected, loved or belonging with others is strongly associated with better wellbeing and other health outcomes through providing a sense of meaning, safety, support and purpose. Nurturing relationships with friends, whānau and work colleagues helps to enhance the benefits of connection and promote a deeper sense of unity and collective wellbeing.

Here are some of the ways you can connect with others today:

Gather your friends for a cozy night of games, good vibes, and shared laughter.
Fire up the barbeque, invite your friends and whānau around, and catch up while watching the game.
Is there someone that you haven’t spoken to in a while? Why not send a message, have a kōrero, or arrange a catch up in person.
At the end of the day, ask a friend, your whānau or hoamahi what the best thing about their day was and listen with interest when they respond.
Organise a potluck dinner, barbeque or shared lunch with your whānau, friends or hoamahi. Bring your favourite dish and connect over some delicious kai.

Social connection is the ngākau/heart of our wellbeing. It weaves us together, making us feel seen, heard, and understood. When we nurture meaningful connections with others, we uplift our own wellbeing.

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