Kirsty Fernandes - Honouring Māmā

21/08/2025

We are deeply saddened to hear news of the passing of Michel Odent, whose vision and writing reshaped the way we understand human birth.

Michel Odent reminded us that birth is not a medical procedure to be controlled, but a primal rythm to be respected. He advocated for home-like maternity units, warm water births, protecting the birthing woman's privacy and honouring her instincts, undisturbed contact between mother and newborn; he was among the first to discuss the importance of the microbiome, and question many of the practices that had (and have) become normalised in overmedicalised maternity systems globally.

"The first intervention in natural childbirth is the one the woman does herself when she walks out the front door of her own home in labor". - Michel Odent.

We thank you, Michel, for your passion, vision and committment to women and newborns.

13/08/2025

When things feel tricky...

We can judge ourselves, we can shame ourselves, we can "should" ourselves, we can let our inner critic take hold.

Or we can offer ourselves compassion, sit in our uncomfortable feelings for some time and uncover what's really going on for us, endeavour to get more of our needs met, have our feelings listened to, and take a breath.

The aim of parenting is not perfection. You are a human, navigating big things in all aspects of your life, as best as you can with the resources you have (I'm telling myself this as much as I am you, because sometimes we need to pause and talk to ourselves with the same compassion we'd offer to a friend).

Breathe in. Breathe out and try again. You're doing great.

I'd love to support you to internalise this for yourself ❤️
www.honouringmama.com

08/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/12DoAckNVJb/

07/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Qv5U1LLZU/

This is so awesome 👌 👏 ❤️

Cultural safety and the honouring of ones culture is an important protective factor for birth trauma 💙

It is awesome to see higher numbers of Māori and Pasifika midwives who can support whānau in the way they need - all the best to the Ōhua midwives and the whānau they support 💙

Link in Comments;
Photo: RNZ

03/08/2025

I'll be at the Mohua Social Services Golden Bay Community and Whānau meeting tomorrow talking all things about supporting Whānau through pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting. I'd love to see you there if you're in town!

04/12/2024

When I was younger, I used to get abdominal cramps on a regular basis. I couldn't eat, sleep or drink when it was happening. No-one could work out what was going on. It wasn't until years later, a female doctor decided to do an abdominal ultrasound and found that my gallbladder was a third full of stones. I had been suffering for 10 years. No-one before this moment had thought to check my gallbladder, because I didn't meet the normal "criteria" for gallstones.

Fast forward 18 years, and I've been on another quest to uncover what feels unbalanced in my health. I've seen multiple people, completed multiple tests and I've just been told I've got PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). Oh, and I should have been taking digestive enzymes since I had my gallbladder out.

I had a lot of feelings when I found out - grief, anger, frustration, relief. I had to have a lot of listening time and be really clear on what I needed. I also had to do a lot of repairing with my kiddos when the stress of it bubbled over.

Once I had moved through the feelings, I knew exactly where to go. About a decade ago, one of my husband's work colleagues opened a business called the PCOS Nutritionist, so I looked Clare Goodwin up immediately. She takes a holistic approach to restoring health.

Clare validates my experience because she's been there. She can explain things in a way that I understand because she's lived it. She can make sustainable suggestions because she's a working Mama too. I actually feel seen and heard. And it's making all the difference.

This is what I know will be created in my Aware Parenting Support Circle - a place to feel seen and heard, to have your feelings validated, to have practical, sustainable suggestions when you want them, to feel like you're navigating parenting alongside a waka (canoe) of powerful wāhine (women), rather than isolated and alone.

Save your spot by booking here:
https://www.honouringmama.com/book-online
If you would like one of the payment plans, please send me a DM.
Register before Jan 2025, and receive a bonus half hour listening session with me to kick-start your year.

20/11/2024

Kia ora (hello!) beautiful humans!

It feels like a lot is going on in the world doesn't it? Do you want to feel wrapped in a community of support in 2025? Do you want a space where you can come as you are and be authentic about how parenting really is for you?

Parenting is our biggest work and the most influential thing we can do to make the world a healthier place. What you're doing is so vital. You deserve to be surrounded in so much support and to feel held and heard. To be empowered to be the best that you can be - for you and your children.

I would love for you to join my Aware Parenting Support Circle if this speaks to you. We will journey together for 8 months from Feb-Sep 2025. There are online meet ups to explore a topic every month, have space to share, and feel equipped with how to put the theory of Aware Parenting into practise in your family. I'm also excited to connect you with other parents in your region who are practising Aware Parenting too, for in-person connection.

If you'd like to read more about it, please visit my website here: https://www.honouringmama.com/aware-parenting-support

If you sign up before January, you'll also receive a bonus 30 min listening session with me before we begin!

Aroha nui,

Kirsty

Discover expert and personalised Aware Parenting Support. Parent in a way that fosters connection, cooperation, and deep healing for you and your family.