Public Service
Welcome to National Women’s Health. We want to make sure you and your baby are as happy and healthy as you can be during pregnancy, birth and after birth.
Our inpatient, newborn and high risk maternity outpatient services are located on the 9th floor of Auckland City Hospital in Grafton.
Our Walk-In Centre, Community outpatient services, Fertility and Gynaecology outpatient services are at the 6th floor of the Greenlane Clinical Centre.
Please visit the National Women's Health website for more information nationalwomenshealth.adhb.govt.nz
The Women's Health Information Unit is located in the Atrium area on level 9 at Auckland City Hospital.
Click the links below for more information.
Finding an LMC:
Pregnancy and postnatal care:
Education and support:
Click on the following links to access:
Give babies and toddlers a HEALTHY start to every day!
Come join in the fun, meet other mums, learn some great tips or relax and enjoy a hot cuppa!
Healthy Babies Healthy Futures (HBHF) specialises in teaching mums how to buy, prepare, and cook the healthiest and tastiest dishes for all the family to enjoy.
We bring you FREE fun activities like yoga, walking, box fit, tai chi, Pilates and meditation all at your own pace!
Join a FREE Healthy Babies Healthy Futures programme today!
Featuring our exclusive text messaging programme that sends you FREE health advice suited to baby’s development.
To sign up or to find out more, check out their website for more information.
Call us, to talk about babies’ health goals and which programme can help you!
Danielle 09 822 8010 or text 022 657 8189
danielle.tahuri@healthwest.co.nz
Fangfang 09 570 1188 ext 330
Maria 09 838 0743
Anjileena 09 - 815 2331
Stop smoking support in pregnancy Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for yourself and the health of your baby. It is possible to stop smoking and you can get free support and advice to help you and your family members. Give your baby the best - smokefree - start to lifeGestation is the length of a pregnancy from conception to birth (usually 40 weeks in humans). Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes (glucose intolerance) that occurs in some women during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes have a high level of glucose (or sugar) in their blood because they do not have enough of the hormone insulin to cope with the extra demands of the growing foetus (unborn baby). In most cases, gestational diabetes is managed by diet and exercise and will usually disappear after the baby is born.
Visit the National Women's website for more information about diabetes in pregnancy.
This is a procedure used to evaluate the health of your unborn baby and identify any problems that may exist. Using ultrasound as a guide, a thin needle is inserted through your stomach into your uterus (womb). A small sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds your baby is then taken. This fluid contains cells from the baby, which are then studied in the laboratory.
The best time to perform amniocentesis is in the 16th week of pregnancy.
Visit the National Women's Health website for more information on antenatal screening, or read this information on Amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sample CVS.
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is used to test for genetic disorders, such as Down’s syndrome, and involves taking a small sample of the chorionic villi, which are the tiny units that make up the placenta. The placenta is the organ that grows on the inner lining of your uterus (womb) through which nourishment and oxygen pass to your foetus (unborn baby). The chorionic villi have the same chromosomes as your foetus and DNA analysis will determine if your unborn child has any genetic abnormalities.
Using ultrasound as a guide, the sample is obtained by inserting a cannula up through the vagina and cervix (transcervical) or by inserting a needle in through your stomach (transabdominal).
Visit the National Women's website for more information on antenatal screening.
In a very small number of pregnancies, the baby may not grow as well as in a normal pregnancy. This is called intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and the unborn baby will be described as being “small for gestational age” (SGA). This means that the baby is smaller than expected for the length of time that the woman has been pregnant. An unborn baby with IUGR should be carefully managed during pregnancy and delivery but will usually be healthy at birth.
Click here to view the National Women's information leaflet about small for gestational age babies.
Induction of labour is the process of starting labour artificially. This may be needed for many reasons, such as high blood pressure, toxaemia or if your waters have broken and you haven’t gone into labour by yourself.
There are a few different methods that may help to induce labour, including an internal examination by the midwife or doctor, medication that softens the cervix (entrance to the uterus) allowing it to open, or other medicine that stimulates the uterus (womb) to contract.
Visit the National Women's Health website for more information on induction of labour.
A caesarean section is the name of the operation done to deliver a baby through a cut in your stomach and uterus (womb). In some cases this is safer than a vaginal delivery. The surgery is performed by an obstetrician and it usually only takes a few minutes for the baby to be born. A general or epidural anaesthetic can be used. Most women will be up and about within 24 hours of the surgery.
Visit the National Women's Health website for more information on caesarean sections.
National Women's Health also runs a clinic for women considering a vaginal birth after a previous caesarean section.
Toxaemia of pregnancy or pre-eclampsia is a condition that occurs in some women during the second half of pregnancy. It is characterised by high blood pressure, swelling that doesn't go away and large amounts of protein in the urine. If left untreated it can stop the placenta, which provides nourishment to the baby, from getting enough blood and thus slows the baby’s growth. The condition can also be dangerous for the mother. In the early stages, simple measures such as bed rest may control the symptoms but, if not, it may be necessary to deliver the baby a week or two early.
Visit the National Women's Health website to see the information leaflet on pre-eclampsia.
A premature baby is one that is born before 37 weeks’ gestation (the length of a pregnancy from conception to birth). The normal period of gestation in humans is 40 weeks. If your baby is premature, it may need to be cared for in a specialised unit, called a neonatal unit, until his or her internal systems are more fully developed. The length of time your baby will stay in the neonatal unit will generally depend on how early it was born.
Visit the National Women's Health website for more information about our neonatal intensive care unit.
The postpartum (also called postnatal) period is the time after the birth of a baby. During this time many women will experience a feeling of slight sadness or anxiety. This is called the “baby blues”, and in some women it may develop into postpartum depression. The baby blues happen in the days just after the birth and usually only last for about a day or up to a week.
Postpartum depression can occur days or months after the baby’s birth and the feelings of sadness are worse than with the blues.
Please visit the National Women's Health website for more information on mental health support.
Auckland City Hospital
Street address
2 Park Road
Grafton
Auckland 1023
Postal address
National Women’s Health Private Bag 92 024 Auckland Mail Centre Auckland 1142 New Zealand
Email: NWHweb@adhb.govt.nz
Phone: 09 623 6455 or 0800 966 264 option 2 (free phone)
The information on this page has been provided by healthpoint.co.nz, helping people better understand and use New Zealand health services.
