We are sisters born 14 months apart. We have always been close and by some miracle we happened to give birth to our first babies just 10 days apart.
We have both always been passionate about health, well-being and children. After being surprised by how challenging those first few months were, we wanted to combine those interests and help new mums. One effective way to facilitate positive well-being in our community is to prevent ill-health in the first place. Therefore, supporting Mums to look after themselves and nurture their babies in the first few years seems like the earliest intervention possible.
Traditional antenatal workshops and postnatal care currently focus predominantly on the birth and caring of new-borns. We believe that by supporting our mothers and their partners, they will then be better equipped to care for their pēpi. To achieve this, we felt there was a need for antenatal workshops that focus on mums’ well-being.
Mums Mental Health
Maternal suicide is the leading cause of maternal death and postnatal depression affects approximately 15-20% of Mums after birth. However, feeling low, challenged, anxious, guilty, frustrated, and sad are common feelings for all mums. We discuss ways to manage these feelings and acknowledge their validity with empathy.
Shared Information and Education
We believe that information and education should be available to all. Therefore, we are passionate about spreading the word of Matrescence to normalise, validate and raise awareness of the challenges of motherhood. Through education we want to change the way society view and value mothers, their roles in our communities, the penalty of motherhood and the psychological and emotional challenges mothers face. Our workshops offer an introduction to Matrescence.
Our Team
Christina Bond
Founder & Facilitator
PGDipPsycPrac, MSc, MBM, PGDipHSc, PGCertNFPM, BA (Hons).
Christina, a Mum to her daughter Marlee, and NZ registered psychologist, has worked in the mental health sector for over 10 years. Christina has experience delivering professional and personal development workshops, providing individual therapy (cognitive behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy) and completed her Master’s in emotional regulation.
“I had always looked forward to the day I would become a Mum. Although it’s different and more challenging than I envisioned, it is also more wonderful. I have a strong passion for education and psychology; the relationship between our thinking, emotions and behaviour fascinates me. I am highly motivated to use these interests to do all I can to give babies and children the best possible start to life. I am incredibly excited to support parents towards a positive parenting journey and nurture happy, healthy and resilient babies”.
Samantha Bond
Founder & Facilitator
BA(Education), PGDipTchgLn(Primary).
Sam, mum to mischievous sons Archie and Tommy, first studied her BA in Education, with a focus on working in Policy Change within the NZ Education Sector. With a passion for providing equal opportunities for all NZ kids, she soon realised that working within the school system was the best possible way to gain first-hand experience of what challenges our youth and their families were facing. Sam has since worked in both Primary and Early Childhood Education.
“As women, we grow up with an idea of what it will be like to be a mum for the first time. We hear a lot about being tired, but that doesn’t really cut it. I was extremely lucky to have an amazing support network, but I couldn’t help but worry for those mums that don’t. As women, we just knuckle down and do what we can to survive the challenges of motherhood, quite simply because we have to. Women shouldn’t have to grin and bear it, this in itself creates a false expectation for other new mums, who are left wondering, “is it just me!?”. It is really hard, and it is okay to say so. We aim to help new mothers by preparing them for the challenges and prepping them with tools and strategies that will ultimately improve the wellbeing of both mum and baby”.
Debbie Stevens
Midwife & Facilitator
My name is Debbie Stevens and I am a registered midwife. I graduated with a RM BSc (Hons) in 2004 at the University of Wolverhampton in the UK. Since 2005 I have lived and practiced in New Zealand working in tertiary, secondary and primary settings including six years as an LMC.
I strongly believe that every woman should have the support to achieve the birth that she wants. Usually the aim is for a normal birth without complications and happily this describes most births in New Zealand where we are incredibly lucky to have our midwifery led maternity system which is the envy of the world. Sometimes, however, the babies have other ideas and plans change. This is the essence of parenting, balancing your choices with the needs and wants of the new addition. My aim in providing labour, birth and breastfeeding workshops for MNZ is to help navigate the sometimes unexpected events that may present themselves. Good preparation can help avoid some common pitfalls and for the rest- knowledge is power, you got this.
Shelley Templeton
Occupational Therapist and Facilitator
PGDip CBT, Perinatal Psychiatry and Infant Mental Health
I am Shelley Templeton a NZ registered Occupational Therapist with 30 years of experience in mental health with the last 15 years in the specialist area of perinatal mental health.
I work with women who are experiencing antenatal and postnatal depression, antenatal and postnatal anxiety, women who have experienced birth trauma, grief and loss and women adjusting to all the changes and stressors that becoming a mother can bring. I currently work across both the public and private sectors.
My role for Te Whatu Ora Canterbury DHB is within the Plunket Perinatal Adjustment Programme (PPNAP) where I offer home visiting, assessment of mental health and interventions to meet the needs of each woman and their family. I also facilitate groups in this role.
In my private practice Minding Mother, I home visit to provide assessment of maternal mental health and offer Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) amongst other therapies to support women to achieve good mental wellbeing and meet their goals in an individually tailored way.
I am a strong advocate for supporting women in the perinatal period - a time of significant adjustment and transition- after experiencing my own challenging transition to parenthood.
Ainslee Roughan
Holistic Sleep Expert and Facilitator
Ainslee, from Brain Under Construction, is a holistic sleep expert and a chiropractor who has been working with pregnancy, postpartum recovery and babies for the last decade. Her aim is to make sleep sustainable by supporting, educating and empowering parents and families.
She offers a holistic and responsive sleep framework which is designed to support you with sleep without using sleep training methods. Responsive sleep solutions work on aligning circadian rhythm and sleep pressure while taking into consideration your baby's temperament, your temperament, your parenting values and so much more. The aim of the game is to make sleep as easy as possible within what is biologically normal for your baby given their age and stage.
Ainslee’s focus is to educate parents and empower them in understanding how sleep works so they can navigate sleep in a way that is best for their little one and their family.
Lara Williams
Events Coordinator & Administrator
Lara, mum to Whitaker & Harriet, found that motherhood was even more wonderful than expected, but also could be more challenging than she was prepared for.
With over 9 years experience in the events industry working in member-based organisations in Australia, she thrives on being organised and productive - two words that don’t often come to mind in the daily (beautiful) chaos of being a mother.
Having recently moved to New Zealand, she is excited to join the Matrescence New Zealand team and combine her love for events and motherhood - to help reach and support mothers and embrace this phase of our lives together.
Bryleigh Kingston-Rodgers
Marketing and Graphic Design Administrator
BA (Media & Communications)
Bryleigh completed her Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication) in 2012. Since then she has worked in marketing and administration roles in the charity and education sectors, both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She is excited to use her digital marketing experience in particular to help Matrescence NZ reach every Mum and Mum-to-be in New Zealand.
Since welcoming daughter Maia in April 2021 (on her own birthday!), Bryleigh understands the relentlessness of motherhood. She describes it as equally the most wonderful and hardest thing she has ever done, with every minute being worth it. Despite being lucky enough to have a strong support network by her side, Bryleigh also knows that being a Mum can be isolating. She would love for all parents to be aware of the help that is out there, and not be afraid to ask for it. Bryleigh is excited to be a part of the Matrescence NZ team to make this a reality.
Testimonials
“One great message in the Baby Bonding Workshop is that just being aware of the emotional journey you are about to encounter is going to help. Not only does the workshop provide you with awareness it also helps you find tools and strategies to help you and your family.
Sam and Christina are two mums that want to share their knowledge and experience in a warm, welcoming, down to earth way. I just can’t recommend them highly enough.”
“One of my biggest concerns about becoming a mother was around mental health and “coping”, and I knew that traditional antenatal workshops don’t cover those aspects. I am so grateful that you started this workshop and shared their knowledge and experiences, both from a personal and professional perspective. I honestly feel as though the workshop has equipped me with some invaluable tools to tackle this new journey with confidence!”
“Both my partner and I really enjoyed this class and have already recommended it to others. It covered topics that I don’t think are discussed enough (if at all) elsewhere but yet they are topics that relate to every new parent!”
“Really loved and valued this workshop. Have been feeling unsure of myself and how I will manage second baby. But after this workshop I feel more empowered to make a plan of how I can support my own mental and physical health and have open discussions with my partner in ways that he can help support me. Thank you for your open and real chats about motherhood and how I can change my mindset to be more positive.”
Feedback on the Postpartum Plan;
“We are really excited about sitting down and completing it together. I love the concept of getting these things planned now before the plan needs to be used. It also seems like a fantastic communication aid.”
“I think this will be really useful, my partner has already suggested we sit down tonight and start going through it. I think the class was really beneficial for him and he seems more interested in talking about things that I have been raising over the past couple of weeks (worries about juggling work/roles/finances/family involvement).”