Jade van der Hoorn - Midwife

08/06/2026

Our new website is now LIVE! 😍
www.manaakimidwives.co.nz

You can enquire direct through the website by the enquire now form!
February 2027 bookings are open and the enquiries sure are flowing in! Remember there is no need to have a GP appointment before finding a midwife, Contact us as soon as you get that positive test and we will do the rest from there! ✨

Continuity midwifery care across the Hutt Valley. Hutt Hospital, home birth, and planned caesarean support. Free for eligible NZ residents.

04/06/2026

💚🤍 Not your every day birth story, But one very special early arrival of this beautiful fighter boy and his strong mama! Thank you to Haylee & whānau for sharing her premature birth journey with Hendrix 🍀

"We went into pregnancy this time around terrified of getting preeclampsia again and having another premature baby as our last baby was born very suddenly & unexpectedly at 32 weeks.

Unfortunately this pregnancy was more rocky than the first & at 13 weeks there were high risk markers for Trisomy 18 where we believed there was a 70% chance of baby having this diagnosis. Jade walked me through what this would mean and where to from here. Thankfully after a long 2 week wait to get testing done, we got the all clear but unfortunately it didn’t mean pregnancy got easier. At 18 weeks my placenta partially detached & we were told to prepare for a late term miscarriage as this was the likely outcome, but against the odds, baby held on.

Then came my waters breaking at 27 weeks, just before Christmas & Jade going on leave. I somehow managed to keep baby in until 29 weeks where after speaking with Jade about the circumstances, I asked the doctor to get the baby out. Luckily, Jade had just got back from leave & she happily came to Wellington hospital for the birth, not as a midwife, but more so as someone we trusted and a familiar face in an operating room full of strangers, where we were terrified of the outcome given his gestation and estimated size. 

With a history of feeling like I wasn’t listened to by my previous midwife, I was so happy to have found Jade. I felt listened to and never felt like any concern or question was silly & I always felt at ease. We joked I would probably be the most scanned mum by the end of pregnancy, 21 ultrasounds by 29 weeks was a pretty good effort! 

Jade made an awful pregnancy more bearable, I am forever grateful for the care I received & only wish I had her the first time around too! Thank you, Jade. You made an extremely difficult pregnancy as easy as it could’ve been given all the uncertainty. Without your support, especially when it came to the conversations around getting him out, I don’t think Hendrix would be here"

🥹🥹

19/05/2026

How beautiful, Welcome to the world sweet Mikayla Claire! 🤍💚

Loving all these birth stories coming through guys!

12/05/2026

Thank you to Kim & whānau for sharing the birth of sweet Colton, A spontaneous labour after a Hypertension diagnosis in her hapū journey followed by an augmented labour post epidural! ✨💚

"My journey having a successful pregnancy wasn’t the easiest, after having 8 miscarriages i had started to lose hope that i was going to get to be a mum to a earth side baby , in april 2025 i had surgery to remove a sub septate in my uterus and then i finally fell pregnant with our special little boy!

Coming into my pregnancy i was overwhelmed with fear and anxiety about this pregnancy being successful, Jade was extremely supportive and informative from the beginning and my husband and i truely felt we were in the best hands from the start.

My waters broke on the 17th of march and within a hour i had my first contraction, they steadily built and became closer together and around 3:00am we headed to the hospital where i was 5cm dilated. At this point I was exhausted and had been up since about 7:00am the previous day and my plan for a natural water birth went out the window, i opted to get a epidural around 6:00am as i knew i needed to rest and build my strength back up.
After not progressing after the epidural i got another stretch and sweep and the oxytocin drip, Which started to get things going, i took a well deserved nap while we waited for son to be ready to make his arrival . 1:30pm rolled around i was checked again and finally was 9.5cm dilated. Around 3:00pm it was time to start pushing i did a few practice pushes and at this stage my epidural had worn off enough that i could feel when each contraction was building which made it easier for me to feel when i needed to push, after a few pushes Jade calmly said she needed to press the emergency buzzer and lots of people were about to enter the room as baby was right there but his heart rate was dropping and we needed to get him out a little quicker, the call was made that i needed a episiotomy and i needed to get baby out now. I consented to a episiotomy and thankfully on the next push i was able to get him out and at 3:32 our son was born , he was wrapped a little bit in his cord and came out a little stunned due to getting him out in about 17 minutes of pushing. He was quickly taken as he required a little bit of oxygen but he came round super quickly and i finally got to experience the surreal moment of give my earth side baby the hug i had been longing for for years!!

I couldn’t recommend Jade enough and will forever be grateful for the care she provided, she truely went the extra mile supporting me from the very beginning right up to my last visit and i cant thank her enough for helping me have a positive birth experience"

🥹🥹

04/05/2026

Today we celebrate International Day of the Midwife 💛 05.05

A huge shoutout to all the incredible midwives who walk alongside whānau through one of life’s most powerful journeys.

These are just a snippet of the incredible midwives I get to walk alongside here in the Hutt! I am thankful for you all and the privilege I have in this job to be able to walk alongside whānau in such vulnerable times, entrusting so much in me, in us.

And to all midwives across Aotearoa in the community, hospitals, birth centres, education, and leadership your dedication, compassion, and strength do not go unnoticed.

We are there in the quiet moments, the intense moments, and everything in between supporting, guiding, and empowering.

Today we celebrate YOU midwives.
Thank you for all that you do & I am forever thankful that these are just some of the awesome people I get to work alongside daily! 🤍

03/05/2026

Yes January 2027 bookings are now open! How crazy is that? The midwives here at Manaaki Midwives have the below availability around Christmas and New years time!

Shari and Gemma will be taking due dates from 8th Jan onwards, Due to returning to work 27th December.

Hayley and Jade will be taking due dates from 20th Jan onwards, Due to returning to work 10th Jan.

We have a 10-days either side of leave rule like all LMC Groups to allow for us to support and be present at your birth and less need for our colleagues to do where possible.

Check out findyourmidwife.co.nz or enquire here about availability.

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03/05/2026

✨ What happens when your midwife (LMC) goes on leave? ✨

As Lead Maternity Carers (LMCs), most of us are self-employed — which means our pay works a little differently to what many people expect.

💡 We’re not salaried employees
We don’t get a weekly wage or paid hours. Instead, we’re paid in stages for the care we provide throughout pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care.

💡 No paid leave
Because we’re self-employed, we don’t receive paid annual leave, sick leave, or parental leave. If we take time off, our income pauses too.

💡 What happens when we take leave?
When your LMC is on leave, your care is transferred to another midwife who is available to support you. That midwife is then paid for the care they provide during that time.

💡 Why this matters
It means that when midwives take a break (which is important for safe, sustainable care), it often comes with a period of no income — even though regular business costs and life expenses continue.

💛 The goal is always continuity and safety
Even when your usual midwife is away, there will always be a plan in place to ensure you and your pēpi are cared for by a trusted colleague.

—

We share this to help people understand a bit more about how midwifery care works behind the scenes — and why supporting a sustainable workforce matters for everyone 💚

01/05/2026

✨ The birth of Percy, Graces 2nd pēpi born at 40+3 at the Hutt Hospital ✨

"On the 11th of September (40+3) I woke up with some light cramping and knew deep down I was going to go into labour today. I spent the morning with my 3 year old son, Rory and to be honest I was parenting from the couch at this stage lol!. At about midday things really shifted and I needed to focus and move inward so I went into my room, closed the curtains and started to rock on the swiss ball and lean on the bed through each contraction.

I was using breathing techniques (from Jodi Wilson, Australian birth stories) through each contraction. At about 5.30pm we called Gemma our LMC. Gemma was amazing and so calm, she came to my house check on my progress. Much to my surprise I was about 7cm. It was time to say goodbye to my eldest, pack the last minute things into the car, and head off to the Hospital.

At the Hospital I used the bed in an upright position and the toilet, continuing with my focused breathing. I thought I would love the gas like I did in my first labour but I felt really light headed and sick with one inhalation. Instead I continued focusing on my breathing, using a fan to help cool me down and having some deep pressure massage in my lower back.

I knew the transition period had arrived when I felt contactions on top of each other with what felt like no break, I remember saying something along the lines of “I don't want to do this anymore” and I remember thinking how strong Mums are to experience this to bring our babies into the world.

I kept reminding myself of my two affirmations “ I can do anything for one minute” and “don't push the river it will flow by itself”.

When Jade and Toni (Student Midwife) arrived, their presence was so professional, kind and nurturing. I was almost ready to push (which was scary for me as I had emergency button pushed and an episiotomy and ventouse with my first!).

I pushed in side lying posting using the stirrups and Toni (sorry Toni!) to secure my legs and ground me for the biggest pushes of my life!!!! So exciting as I knew I was so close to meeting my son. I felt so reassured by all the support around me, Tom, my Mum and the Mannaki Midwives.

Percy was born at 10pm and was bought up to my chest and latched, I was so in love, relieved and shocked that my son was here.

I had precious uninterrupted time with Percy on my chest before all of the measurements. After one night in Hosptial, Tom and Rory came in the morning to pick Percy and I up to take us home. How special when siblings meet for the first time, a little brother for my big boy 🥹

I truly felt beyond supported by Manaaki Midwives, their expertise, care and encouragement made my birth experience so positive! We are so lucky to have Manaaki Midwives in the Hutt Valley ✨"

28/04/2026

✨✨ Reshare ✨✨
Looking for something to do in a Wednesday with the tamariki? 👇

"Playday on Wednesday 12-5pm
🚲🧸🫖🎾
It’s been beautiful days this week ☀️
Let’s enjoy the sunshine before winter comes here 🥹
Walter Nash park (common ground)is perfect place to explore with bikes,toys and indoor activities🖍️

There are plenty of toys , Tea and coffee.☕️

All ages ,Everyone is welcome to join us to have chat and play 🙂

Also Toy Box is available.
You can borrow some toys for free.

Feel free to pop in !"