Born ready

Mother, midwife and Instagram influencer Carmen Lett talks to UNO about her new venture, Hatched Online.

WORDS JENNY RUDD / PHOTOS RACHEL DOBBS

When you’re heavily pregnant with your first child, you want: 1) a baby handbook, and 2) to lie on the sofa. Knowing this, Carmen Lett, a midwife and the mother of four young children, has founded Hatched Online antenatal and parenting classes.

“As a midwife on the postnatal ward at Tauranga Hospital, I noticed a lot of parents coming through who didn’t know much about what happened straight after birth. I’d often find myself on the ward showing people how to change nappies or swaddle a baby to help them sleep, or teaching them what a newborn’s feeding pattern might be like or that babies are often wakeful on night two of their life. I realised that lots of these fundamentals weren’t being taught in antenatal classes.”

There’s nothing quite as shocking as realising you’re responsible for another person’s life. You’re sent on your merry way from the hospital with a tiny baby and not so much as a “Do you know what you’re doing with that?”; you’ve probably experienced more stringent checks when taking out a DVD at Blockbuster. After going through the most physically and emotionally intense time many of us will ever experience, you’re promoted with immediate effect to being in sole charge of someone who’s completely helpless, unable to feed themselves and can barely communicate their needs.

“Because first-time mums tend to do lots of research and antenatal classes cover it really well, people were really clued up about the birth process, but there was a real knowledge gap in terms of what to do after you’ve had the baby,” says Carmen. She knew that empowering mums and dads with this information would remove much of the fear.

“I’ve been running Hatched On Location antenatal classes in Tauranga for the past few years, and they’re always full,” says Carmen. “Expectant parents are keen to learn everything they can about birth and the early days of parenting, but there were lots of couples who missed out because their partner worked shifts, they lived rurally, or the pregnant mum was on bedrest.” Once she realised so many people weren’t getting this vital information, she set about launching Hatched Online, with her husband, Aidan, a tech start-up whizz, handily in the mix.

Hatched Online’s antenatal classes – which also include that invaluable postnatal education – are delivered in the form of 13 videos, each about half an hour long. They’re the same as Carmen’s Hatched On Location classes, with a few bonus extras. Whether you snuggle down and watch one every evening, or binge watch the whole lot over a couple of days, once you subscribe, you can view them as often as you like for six months (and given baby brain is a real thing, it’s safe to say most parents-to-be would be happy to take advantage of being able to watch certain modules more than once).

“The friends you make are an important part of antenatal classes, so for my online parents, I’ve set up a Facebook page that everyone gets access to, and I do live Q&A sessions so you can ask as many questions as you like,” says Carmen. “The great things about Facebook is that all those questions and answers stay right there, so you can go back and read them all.

“I often hear that parents feel pressured to do things in a particular way. So it was also important to me to offer information on all the options,” she continues. “For instance, if you want a home birth, or an elective cesarean, I provide all the information, then you can make your choice one way or the other. We focus on healthy babies – without guilt.”

Carmen’s Hatched On Location classes are nearly always full, and not just because she serves snacks and hot drinks, and gives out goodie bags filled with baby products. If you had to pick anyone to teach you about babies, you’d pick her. She’s been a midwife for 10 years (“I’ve known I wanted to be a midwife since I was 15 years old”), and as a mother of four – Rosie (5), twins Asher and Jude (4), and Taj (2) – has some pretty colourful birth stories of her own. “I’ve had a C-section, vaginal births after a C-section, ventouse, epidurals, the lot,” she says.

Carmen also runs popular mummy blog The Lett Tribe, and thousands follow her Instagram account @carmenlett, where she makes it clear she loves her job. “Gimme all the babies!” she says.

FIND more information about Carmen’s Hatched Online and Hatched On Location classes at: HATCHEDANTENATAL.CO.NZ

Bakuchiol: the plant-based alternative to retinol is our new skincare hero

PHOTOS SUPPLIED 

Have you heard of bakuchiol? Pronounced “buh-koo-chee- all”, this plant-based skincare ingredient is a gentler alternative
to retinol that helps target the look of wrinkles and uneven skin tone. Compared to retinol, bakuchiol is better tolerated by skin, is mild enough to be used morning and night, is safe to use with other skincare ingredients and it’s vegan-friendly, too.

Bakuchiol is one of the three hero ingredients used in Arbonne’s new AgeWell range, a vegan skincare collection that embraces a holistic approach to skin ageing. Formulated using a range of dermatologist favourites, the trifecta of ingredients – bakuchiol, vitamin C, and plant stem cell extract – work together to deliver youthful-looking skin.

The second ingredient, vitamin C, supports collagen by providing the skin with moisture, but can’t be used at the same time as traditional retinol. However, vitamin C and bakuchiol are fine to use together, so you can get the benefit of both ingredients at once.

Sustainable plant stem cell extract is the third ingredient taking centre stage in the AgeWell range. Plant stem cell extract helps skin to look more vibrant and improve firmness, and it’s derived from natural origins but uses less water during production than traditional versions. This harmony of ingredients works to target visible signs of ageing without being harsh on skin.

COLLAGEN NURTURING SERUM WITH 2% BAKUCHIOL: Indulge your skin in this super-concentrated formula which helps reduce the look of facial wrinkles, along with stabilised vitamin C to help boost and maintain moisture by supporting collagen.

MOISTURE RESTORING CREAM WITH 0.5% BAKUCHIOL: This versatile moisturiser contains shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, and squalene complex to help replenish
the skin’s moisture barrier
and reduce the appearance
of fine lines.

MOISTURE RESTORING CREAM WITH 0.5% BAKUCHIOL: This versatile moisturiser contains shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, and squalene complex to help replenish
the skin’s moisture barrier
and reduce the appearance
of fine lines.

ARBONNE.COM

Leanne Cashmore takes us inside the Cashmore Clinic

“Having your skin looked after at my clinic is no different to going to the hairdresser or having your teeth whitened. My treatments are subtle. They may be indiscernible to anyone else, but you’ll get a huge boost to your confidence.” Leanne Cashmore is pouring tea into fine china cups at her clinic on Muricata Avenue, Mt Maunganui. A beautiful, pale-blue villa from the road, inside it’s a calm oasis.

A registered nurse, Leanne has been working in appearance medicine for 20 years. Seeing that “there was a real need for a boutique, welcoming and luxurious service at the Mount”, she launched the Cashmore Clinic in April this year. It’s a personal, one-on-one service. “Some people want to dash in during their lunch hour, and others like to take things slowly, talk about their treatment, and relax with a herbal tea. It’s very private here, and my clients appreciate that.”

A born-and-bred Mount local, Leanne is part of a talented family whose members work in creative industries. Her husband, Mark, is a pool and landscape designer (check out his design project in UNO’s summer ’17 issue) and her sister Maree Wilkinson is a photographer, while the eldest of her four children, Jordan, captains a superyacht in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Leanne can be found at her clinic from Monday to Friday and on the occasional Saturday – during daylight hours. “I work around my clients, and prefer natural light as it helps me provide the best treatment,” she says.

The Cashmore Clinic is overseen by a small group of qualified doctors. “I’m very lucky to have worked with some of the top professionals in appearance medicine throughout my career,” says Leanne. “It’s all very friendly and connected.”

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The Cashmore Clinic services

Botox For: the face, and to treat excessive underarm sweating. It’s the most popular procedure, as it’s quick, affordable and delivers fantastic results. Fillers For: fine lines, dark circles around the eyes, acne scarring, lip enhancement, reshaping the jawline and chin, and skin hydration (with the V2 machine). Fillers provide a beautiful lift that restores lost volume in the face. Leanne says anyone who tries them becomes an immediate convert. Head online to discover more of Leanne’s treatments.

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82a Muricata Ave, Mt Maunganui

CASHMORECLINIC.CO.NZ

CASHMORECLINIC

Great hair day

WORDS TALIA WALDEGRAVE PHOTOS TRACIE HEASMAN

Tucked into the burgeoning creative hub on Totara St, Talia Waldegrave celebrates with hair salons Ivy and barber shop Havana.

LAUNCH NIGHT

As far as first impressions go, Ivy and Havana have me sold. Brimming with young up-and-comings, local business owners and budding hair professionals, the launch night is a damn fine party. Down to earth glamour is how I'd describe it: smiling, handsome barbers hand out steaming slices of delicious pizza from The Pizza Library next door, and the bar is set up with a tangled web of mint leaves, a mountain of lime wedges, and buckets of ice to make Havana Rum cocktails. Two ultra-glam ladies kick back in barbershop chairs, pizza slice in one hand, champagne flute in the other. This is a family unit, blood relative or not.

THE GURU

On my second encounter with the Ivy Havana crew, I’m early, but am instantly greeted warmly before I've managed to get inside the door. With time to kill, I wait in the communal kitchen at the table where I’d gobbled pizza just a few nights earlier. The kitchen epitomises the Ivy Havana vibe: the fit-out has had someone with a sharp design eye oversee it, and it's fully functional too (the washing machine is tucked neatly away in the corner). Best of all, this space joins Ivy: the ladies' salon, to the Havana: the barber. Staff make themselves a cuppa and chat to clients waiting for a colour to take, or anyone else who happens to be there for a chat.

Each person passing by gives me a nod, a wave or a ‘hi’, and I wonder if they’re trained to smile this way, because it’s incredibly welcoming. 

I’m here to meet Ruth, the matriarch of the family. After 45 years as a trainer, she’s a bit of a legend in the industry. “My mother-in-law opened one of the first hair training schools in New Zealand and that’s where I started. From the beginning, I’ve enjoyed watching how life changing it is for young people and I still love every second of it.”

Ruth and her team have recently refurbished the Hair2Train building on Totara Street and created beautiful salon Ivy, and brother barbershop Havana. The branding is cutting edge and the décor contemporary cool; it’s unlike anything Tauranga has seen before.

"We wanted to offer something completely separate from the training school where people could come, sit at the table, read the paper and have a coffee. It’s about offering the whole experience, with service and consistency.”

IVY

Put simply, Ivy is beautiful. She's quintessential salon luxe with gold candles and ornate décor. It's the place to be pampered in all things hair, from cuts and styling to indulgent treatments for luscious locks.

HAVANA

The recent resurgence in the old school barbershop has brought back the traditional cut throat shave, injecting some va va voom into men's grooming and Havana is just that. The décor is all blokey and the corrugated sliding door to the car park is reminiscent of a 1950’s James Dean biker gang. 

But what makes this place tick is the people.

“Because we are aligned with the training side of things, our attention to detail is impeccable, we are good at communicating with our clients but most importantly, but what we do best is customer service.”

On my way out, I book an appointment. I can't wait to go back, I already feel part of the gang.

Davinci Clinic: the cooler way to shift stubborn weight

WORDS Pip Crombie PHOTO Logan Weaver

We all have stubborn areas of fat which we just can’t shift, even with regular, intensive exercise and a good diet.

While surgical procedures like liposuction and abdominoplasty are popular for removing excess areas of fat and tightening loose skin, they do require a general anaesthetic and significant recovery time.

Good news. There are now some non-invasive techniques for helping to get rid of areas of stubborn fat, typically around the waist and tummy, thighs and upper arms and double chin. One of the most popular techniques is CoolSculpting, using a technology called Cryolipolysis®.

Widely acknowledged as being safe and effective, CoolSculpting is the only FDA-cleared procedure to use controlled cooling to safely target and eliminate diet and exercise-resistant fat.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Fat cells freeze at higher temperatures than the surrounding tissues. CoolSculpting technology safely delivers precise cooling to gently and effectively target the fat cells underneath the skin. The treated fat cells are crystallized (frozen), and then die. Over time, your body naturally processes the fat and eliminates these dead cells, leaving a more sculpted you. As a body-contouring procedure, it offers an effective solution to shifting stubborn bulges, has no down-time, requires no anaesthetic, no needles, is suitable for most people, friendly to your budget and perhaps most enticing of all, is performed with only minimal discomfort. 

SAFETY FIRST!
Make sure you go to a specialist nurse who is trained to develop a customised treatment plan for your areas of concern, advise on the suitability of CoolSculpting and work within your budget.

There are lesser versions of the CoolSculpting technology available on the market. If you are investigating options, you will see that only CoolSculpting is permitted to use the term Cryolypolisis®. Be wary of imitations and counterfeits and devices which lack the safety mechanisms of CoolSculpting. The extensive training necessary for CoolSculpting ensures that our nurses are very skilled in recommending which areas will respond to treatment and how many treatments are required. This provides consistency in results and optimal outcomes for you, the patient. Two or more treatments are usually scheduled and results are not immediate, but generally become evident over weeks as the fat cells die and are eliminated. So it’s not immediately obvious that you have had any ‘work done.’ Both men and women are loving the results of CoolSculpting at the Da Vinci Clinic. Take a moment to enquire to find out if it’s the answer you’ve been looking for to combat those unwanted bulges. 

davinciclinic.co.nz 

Midwife Anne Sharplin: 2,000 babies and counting

WORDS Jenny Rudd PHOTOS Brydie Thompson

The New Zealand College of Midwives recommends a caseload of about 40 babies per year. Most midwives retire having delivered hundreds of babies. Anne Sharplin has attended the births of more than 2000 babies and is still going. That’s about 50 babies every year of her 35 year career.

Anne has slept knowing a phone call may wake her at any minute and she’ll walk into a highly-charged and unpredictable situation for most nights of her adult life. And has lost up to a whole night of sleep about every five days, depending on when the babies decide to come into the world. Then there are the ante and postnatal visits required for other pregnant mums on Anne’s books, which must be conducted during the day over the rest of the week.

This sounds like a demanding job even with no other commitments, but Anne, incredibly, was a solo mother of two little boys from the get-go. And there weren’t the child-care options in the eighties that we have today. The pressure must have been incredible. But reading her youngest son Adam’s account of his childhood, as well as many of Anne’s birth stories, the same description comes up time and again; of a calm, powerful, kind, and assured woman.

Indeed it has been a battle, during the writing of this article, to keep Anne on the topic of herself. She doesn’t see herself as exceptional, and insists we talk more about midwives and the choices of maternity care at home she believes all women should have. She talks of herself in very humble terms and took some persuading to feature in the magazine.

WHAT DOES A MIDWIFE DO?

Anne’s description of her own job could not be more understated. “You have to be quite present - you need to react to lots of things that are happening at the same time, although it often appears you are doing nothing at all.”

According to the dictionary, a midwife is a person qualified to aid the delivery of babies and look after women before, during and after childbirth.

Anyone who has either had a baby, or seen a baby being born, will realise that this official description lacks the wild and intense emotion which can accompany pregnancy and childbirth.

A midwife assesses and manages risk with the highest possible stakes, on a second-to-second basis, over an undeterminable period of time. The ideal working conditions would be total quiet, to assist the concentration required to manage all the unpredictable goings-on. However it’s more likely to involve bestial screaming, sobbing men, and a lot of strange fluid. 

The midwife may be called upon at any time of day, and so must always be prepared. She may be called to work at 2 am in torrential rain, or on Christmas Day in the middle of present opening. No matter - the midwife must drop everything, and go to work.

It makes some other jobs look a little frivolous, doesn’t it?

“Being on-call is a way of living which takes surrender.

You can plan a big family Christmas, only to be called away at 6 am.”

BIRTHING CHOICES

“Midwifery facilitates a process of wellness. That’s what motivated my choice of study. After qualifying in Oldham, Manchester in 1981, I returned home to Auckland and started to attend homebirths with Veronika Muller, Joan Donley, Carolyn Young and others.

“The choices women have now are vastly different to when I starting practising. I had my first son, Joseph, in Auckland in 1983. My midwife was Joan Donley. At the time, a doctor had to be present at all births. There were few midwives and doctors who offered a domiciliary (home) birth service and the pay was poor, and inferior to that of midwives practising in hospital.

“In 1986, I was living in Thames with my son Joseph and his father. Three women from the Bay of Plenty asked me to attend their births as at the time, the only domiciliary (homebirth) midwife had stopped practising because of the low pay and lack of support.

“I came down with my son and stayed at my brother-in-law’s house with my nephews Alex and James, and my niece Annah who is now a midwife herself. Between the three women, they lent me a blue Morris Minor and I took my little boy with me to attend each of their births.

“We moved to Tauranga the following year. It was such a busy time; my sister had died, her children were here and I wanted to be close to them. I was pregnant with Adam, had a toddler, and attended eleven home births that year, right up to being eight months pregnant myself. I was frequently exhausted and we had very little money.”

REFORM

The Nurses’ Amendment Act of 1990, championed and implemented by Helen Clark the then Health Minister, changed everything. Midwives had autonomy, so no longer needed a doctor at the birth. And they were given equality of pay when attending home births. Suddenly it was possible to earn a proper living.

“Being on-call is a way of living which takes surrender. You can plan a big family Christmas, only to be called away at 6 am. My sons made me breakfast in bed one Mother’s Day, which was interrupted by a phone call; I gulped it down, gave them a quick cuddle, threw on some clothes and left. Many have retired by now as it’s demanding to live on-call.”

“I have always cared for six women per month. Care starts early in the pregnancy and continues until six weeks after the baby is born. I have tried to reduce to four women a month, but I often get requests from families for whom I’ve been the midwife for two generations. Because I’ve been around a while, I have attended the births of aunties, cousins, sisters, nieces. However you can’t be present at every single birth; on the days I can’t attend, I rely on my midwifery partner Lyn Allport. We have also had support from many other wonderful midwives.”

Now a grandmother to Shore, Anne enjoys taking him to weekly swimming lessons, and in the future plans to present the vast data she has collected from her 2000 births, along with her observations as part of a university degree. Once completed, this will be an important body of work, full of Anne’s heartfelt intelligence. It’s no wonder the French for midwife, la sage femme, translates as wise woman.

PINARD HORN

“The pinard is an excellent tool; a simple, hollow horn shape which amplifies sound. A type of stethoscope, it’s designed for auscultation: the act of listening to the body’s internal workings - in this case, the baby’s heartbeat inside the mother. Widely used across Europe, it never breaks down, doesn’t need to be plugged in and is totally trustworthy.”

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BIRTH STORIES:

Sarah Wilson

When my younger son Henry was born in 1999, Anne held an ice-cream container between my legs while Henry’s father drove us to Tauranga hospital in Anne’s van. My labour lasted just 20 minutes and Henry wasn’t breathing when he was born. I attribute Henry’s life to Anne’s calmness and directing of the wildly frightening proceedings. He was incubated for the first week of his life; we couldn’t touch him, and I had severe blood poisoning. At the time of Henry’s birth we lived near Anne’s home in Simpson Road in Papamoa. Anne’s son Adam and my daughter Billie became great friends during those years.

Rhonda Collins 

On Christmas Eve, I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and induced in hospital (my date was 31st December). My midwife, Lyn Allport had Christmas Day off, so I called Anne who was my fill-in midwife at 5 am on Christmas Day. Throughout the labour, Anne stayed with me. She was wonderful - so kind and supportive and gracious. At 9.42 pm, my daughter Mackenzie was born with the aid of forceps. Anne and my husband Anthony shared a Christmas dinner kindly provided by the hospital during the day, and drank lots of tea. I caught up with Anne a few weeks later and bought her a beautiful tea cup and saucer to say thank you.

Pauline Scott and daughter Sophie

I met Anne in 1983, before she moved to the Bay of Plenty. In 1990, following a series of health care reforms, New Zealand midwives were recognised as independent practitioners. Anne was at the forefront of this long and challenging battle for midwives’ autonomy. As a childbirth educator, I had a special bond with Anne. This became closer when I discovered I was pregnant at 41 with my third child after an eleven-year gap.

On 25th January 1992, Sophie Ann Joy was born at home. Anne's calming influence was invaluable, especially as Sophie's shoulders got stuck as she was being born, but there was no hint of panic. Anne offered support and encouragement, not telling me what to do, or demanding me to hurry along. Her total calmness and trust in the birth process allowed me do what my body was designed for.

Sophie has been born less than a minute in this picture, and I'm rubbing her back gently to help her take her first breath. Anne's hands are to the left of the photo, in a pose of calmness and reassurance. It is a special moment, surrounded by family and with the person I most trusted in the world: Anne Sharplin, mother, midwife and one marvellous woman.

Danielle Hart-Murray trained to be a midwife with Anne (who also attended two of Danielle’s siblings)

It was Anne who inspired me to become a midwife, and I was lucky enough to complete my final year working alongside her. Anne taught me skills which simply can’t be taught in a classroom. The way she works with women and their whanau is exemplary; no other midwife I have worked with shows the amount of passion and dedication for ensuring the care is truly woman-centred. She goes above and beyond for the women she cares for, but would never say so herself. A role model not just to midwives, but to all women.

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On our Facebook Page, we posted a request for photos of Anne’s babies. Some of the hundreds of comments about Anne:

• Such a beautiful, humble lady.

• Anne you have inspired, cared for, encouraged and supported so many woman with your abundance of skill, knowledge and passion.

• A very special lady with a gift.

• Her patience and strength is inspiring. She empowers women to do what they are made to do without the fear that is unfortunately part of modern pregnancy and birth.

• Anne is amazing, a beautiful, knowledgable and intuitive soul.

• Absolute gold, we had just arrived in New Zealand, and she even gave us a lovely queen-sized bed! Love you Anne x

• A wonderfully calming, reassuring influence.

• We are so lucky to have her! She is the best of the best!!

• I love this lady.

• Anne always came with a quiet confidence that nothing was too difficult to take on and she proved this time and again with all the adversities that came my way. Dealing with my own health issues as well as my babies’ successful outcomes resonates with my children, who are now choosing her, she is simply the BEST !!!

• I met Anne nearly 18 years ago and she came highly recommended by Māori mums because of her respect for Te Ao Māori. We welcomed her into our home and she would go on to help us bring three of our children into this world at home. So when our first moko was announced we knew she would be the one to also help us. We are so grateful for all her care and aroha.

• Such a beautiful being.