Bronwyn Wills-Tiddy
Kaiawhina
At the beginning of 2020 Loving Arms Charitable Trustās newest initiative 'Kaiawhina' went live.
Kaiawhina is a home-based postnatal service where we match a passionate and skilled volunteer (Kaiawhina) with a new mum that requires some extra TLC, encouragement, support and guidance in the first few weeks to months of the arrival of their new baby.
Working alongside the mothers own midwife or other healthcare provider our Kaiawhina can help the new mum adjust into their new role as a mother by providing help with basic baby care, light household duties and meal preparation.
*Some Kaiawhina are available for birth support if needed
Please note
At this stage āKaiawhinaā is only available in the Waipa region and a referral is required from a midwife, social worker or other health professional.
Meet the team
Kia ora koutou,
Iām Bronwyn Wills-Tiddy and Iām excited to join the team here as a Kaiawhina. My husband and I have 3 adult children and have lived in Te Awamutu for 27 years. I am an Early Childhood teacher and work part time in that role. Recently Iāve been doing some on-line training in the field of post-natal support and understand the importance of good support/help in the days after a baby is born. When my babies were born I was very isolated physically and it was the help of several friends that got me through those days. Not everyone is lucky enough to have friends or whanau able to help and I would love to step into that role if you need someone.
Bronwyn has her own private post-natal support business called āSnug Doula Careā but is generously donating her time, skills and passion to the Kaiawhina iniative.
I have been married to my best friend (Craig) for 28 years. We have 4 grown kids, ages 26, 24, 23, 21. I grew up in the South Island until we got married, then we moved to Waiuku (not far from Pukekohe). Since then we have lived in Australia, Canada and Kenya. While I was in Canada I trained and worked as a birthing and breast feeding Doula. In Kenya I also worked closely with midwives and inside baby orphanages where I looked after very malnourished babies and very sick babies. This was an amazing experience. However my passion is to help women during their pregnancy and birth experience, and their post pregnancy. My other interests include cooking, gardening, craft and singing.
Julie is also available for birth support.
Kia ora My name is Anna and I am so pleased to be a Kaiawhina for the Loving Arms. I am looking forward to be able to bring some of my skills, experience and general life knowledge to the families that I am lucky enough to meet. A little bit about me….I am married with three biological sons and a foster daughter. My sons are 24, 22 and 16 and my daughter is 12. Being a parent is without doubt one of my lifeās greatest achievements as well as one of my greatest joys. In my working life I have taken on a number of jobs and worked in plenty of different industries. I currently work in our own business and this is great for me. I have completed quite a bit of tertiary study over the years as well including the first year of midwifery training. I enjoy spending time with my family and relax with some walking, swimming and Netflix!. I am interested in current affairs, travelling and politics. I look forward to meeting you and helping if I can!
Anna is also available for birth support.
I am originally from the Netherlands and trained in caring for children and families. To begin a new adventure I moved to NZ in my 20ās, without knowing how to speak English. I was pregnant with my 1st and I remember how lonely it was to be in a new place, with no friends or family. Not to mention the language barrier. When I had my own children I home schooled and enjoyed being part of their lives. I am now blessed with nearly 10 grandchildren and love spending time with them and encouraging my children in this precious journey.. Supporting mums and their babies, especially in the 1st year, is something close to my heart.
Being a mum is challenging to say the least and I know having a friend can make all the difference. Iām looking forward to being part of Kaiawhina and helping mothers feel supported and cared for.
Ina is also available for birth support.
I have a natural love of working with children and their families. My passion for this has lead me down a path of training and working as a nanny with many different families and in different countries all over the world. On returning to New Zealand I began working as a parenting education facilitator as well as growing my family of 3 children, now teenagers. Over the past four years I have trained and worked as a certified baby sleep consultant, this seemed to be natural progression in my career and one that I am loving. Having worked for over 20 years, almost as an extended member of other families I have developed the ability to provide sensitive, caring and timely support and also an intuition that allows me to respond to the needs of a family in a respectful manner. Drawing on my experience as a mother and my training as a sleep consultant, I can compassionately support families to regain and sustain the confidence to tackle the challenges that parenting brings.
Kathryn joins our team as a consultant to our Kaiawhina. Sharing her vast knowledge and experience in working with women post-natally with our wonderful Kaiawhina.
