Kia ora and welcome to Matrescence NZ!

PGDipPsycPrac, MSc, MBM, PGDipHSc, PGCertNFPM, BA (Hons).

Christina, a Mum to her two daughters, 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”.

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”.

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.

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.

MBChB, DCH, FRNZCGP

Hi I’m Dr Beth, I’m a specialist GP with an extended role in breastfeeding medicine. Since 2021 I have been upskilling in breastfeeding medicine, after seeing how challenging it can be to access infant feeding support.

As a GP I am experienced in providing evidence based, holistic care to families, considering all aspects of health and well-being and how these can impact on infant feeding.

I’m a proud mum to Ada and Freddie. My own breastfeeding experiences have contributed significantly to my passion for providing families with evidence based information and advice to support them to reach their feeding goals. There is good evidence that access to antenatal breastfeeding education improves the likelihood of mama and pēpi achieving their feeding goals, and I am delighted to be partnering with matrescence NZ to provide you with the tools you need to maximise your success!

Liberty Pelvic Health Physiotherapy was formed by Kelly and Amy; two pelvic health physios who are both mums. With lived experience of postnatal concerns we truly understand the importance of having optimal pelvic health. We aim to create a comfortable environment to allow us to have open discussions on topics that can be difficult to talk about.

Liberty, Pelvic Health Physiotherapy, is one of the only practices focusing solely on pelvic health in Christchurch. We would love to meet you and provide the care you need regardless of what stage of life you are in.

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.

Hi my name is Georgia McKay, I am a Psychology student in my final year of study at the University of Canterbury. I grew up in a family of six (with two brothers and a sister), experiencing first hand the blissful chaos of motherhood as I was in fact the one causing the chaos. 

I am on the Psychology Society Executive at UC where I get the opportunity to combine my passion for mental health and my efficient, speedy and often perfectionistic administration skills. 

Joining the Matrescence team is a dream come true as I aspire to one day become a Clinical Psychologist working in Maternal Mental Health. I believe supporting mothers through their matrescence journey is so crucial as it benefits not only mothers but also the child and future generations. Working behind the scenes to support mothers in such a pivotal time is a privilege. 

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.

I’m Don a Dad to three amazing young adults - a daughter and two sons, and I’ve worked in a variety of areas over the last 30 years, all with education as a common thread.  From high school teaching, to working with youth and children, and as a community worker providing support and advocacy.  

My wife and I are twins.  I’m an identical twin, and she is fraternal.  For the first four years of married life, things went very smoothly because we were used to considering another person in our space and sharing our events and milestones. Getting to grips with being a dad when our children were little was a lot more of a challenge for me, because I didn’t recognise or manage my emotions well and tended to be reactive in my parenting.  Learning to identify why I reacted in the ways that I did, being determined to do things better, and having the incredible support of my wife, I now have a wonderful relationship with my wife and our children. 

I am passionate about being an example of the kind of person I want our children to be.  I am also passionate about helping Dads become better Dads, and I do this in another role in facilitating a 6-week Dads Parenting Course, called Game On.