Stacey May

Professionally, I'm a therapist, Registered Social Worker, and Matrescence Practitioner with over ten years of experience walking alongside individuals and whānau through some of life's biggest challenges.

I'm also a mum of two young children, and despite my professional background, my training, and what I thought was solid antenatal preparation, I was not prepared for the reality of becoming a mother.

The transition to motherhood has been the hardest thing I have ever faced. Deeply fulfilling, yes — but also disorienting, isolating at times, and full of challenges I didn't see coming. Challenges that made me question myself and doubt the mother I was, even when I was doing just fine.

That experience lit something in me that hasn't gone out.

There is a tendency to hold back the full picture from parents-to-be — as if telling the truth about what's coming might frighten them off. I believe the opposite. Knowledge is the greatest tool we can offer. Being genuinely prepared — for the birth and for everything that comes after — means you can face it with more confidence, more self-compassion, and less of the shock that so many of us absorb alone.

It is an honour to hold this space. A class designed by a psychologist, facilitated by experts, grounded in evidence, and built around your wellbeing — not just your birth plan.

Founder

Holistic Sleep Specialist Antenatal Class

Ainslee Roughan

Ainslee, from Baby Sleep with Ainslee, 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.

Sleep Specialist

Midwife

Nicola Taylor

Specialist GP

Dr Beth Shore

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!

Pelvic Health Physios

Amy Mepham & Kelly Brodie

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.

Facilitator

Don Benn

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.

Antenatal Facilitators