Pink is for girls, blue is for boys at Hutt's new birthing unit

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Pink is for girls, blue is for boys at Hutt's new birthing unit

Midwife Kerry Haslam is welcoming a new birthing unit being built in central Lower Hutt.

The Melling Birth Centre will open early next year on the corner of Connolly St and Melling Rd as part of a large development featuring a range of medical tenants and childcare facilities.

The birthing facility will be owned by the Wright Family Foundation, a registered charitable trust based in Tauranga.

Haslam, who works with three other Hutt midwives, said the centre would give expectant mothers a choice and midwives  were looking forward to it opening. She believed it would be the only private birthing unit in the region.

"It is essentially a homebirth facility away from home."

The purpose-built facility would have a number of advantages, she said. "Having somewhere where mothers feel safe is important."

When a mother became stressed, their hormonal levels and blood pressure rose.  A mother who  was not stressed  was likely to have fewer complications and a more enjoyable birth experience.

If anything did go wrong, the new facility is close to Hutt Hospital.

The building features a circle on the front that flashes pink for a baby girl and blue for a boy.

Wellington-based developer Ash Pama said the idea for the development, which includes a childcare centre, a local GP and a pharmacy came from an orthodontist friend.  

He had been looking for a site in the Hutt and noticed the large corner block was vacant, but Pama  said the site was too large for a single-purpose building.

Realtor Tim Julian put up a sign to gauge interest in a potential development and was contacted by a nearby childcare facility, expressing interest.

"The phone just started to ring and it all happened very quickly from there."

Pama is building the two storey 4400 sq m building on behalf of a Wellington investor for $15 million.

From a developer's point of view, it  was an attractive deal. Medical tenants  were likely to be long-term tenants and the proximity to the hospital was a natural drawcard, Pama said.

Gordon Rixon, who until recently owned the Life Care Pharmacy in Queensgate,  said the concept of having a wide range of medical facilities grouped together  was a good one.

The trend  was for medical providers to work together in a hub, he said.

He  could see it developing into an alternative to accident and emergency for people who  had insurance and wanted to avoid delays at Hutt Hospital.

"What happens if little Johnny falls out of a tree and breaks his arm or breaks his arm playing rugby. He can visit there and have an x-ray and his arm set and he is out of there."

In May 2016 Chloe Wright, of the Wright Family Foundation, said the 12-suite birthing centre would be available to midwives who signed an access agreement.

The free service would support women from labour until they took their baby home, with a strong focus on providing postnatal care, including parenting courses.

Hutt Valley DHB acting chief executive Dale Oliff said there had been initial meetings with the Wright Foundation over clinical matters but funding had "not yet" been discussed.

Every mother will have her own room, in which she will give birth and also receive post-natal care, staying up to three nights after the birth.

Rooms will have an ensuite, queen bed, a bath that can be used as a birthing pool, and flat screen TV.

Chloe Wright was overseas and unavailable for comment.