Charlotte: 0800 639 222
Sonya: 0800 222 988
about us
Charlotte and Sonya are committed to providing a quality midwifery service to the women of Central Otago. We provide full and comprehensive maternity care from first contact to 6 weeks postnatal, working alongside women to guide them in planning for the birth of their baby and those early days at home with a newborn. We believe that pregnancy and childbirth are normal life events and support women to achieve a positive and empowering pregnancy and birth experience.
To give you optimal support and guidance through the transition to parenthood, we offer midwifery care that is professional, but also personal and on a small scale. We limit our caseload to 4-6 families each per month. Keeping our caseload small means that we can take the time to individualise each womens care and offer her our optimal support when it is needed most. This creates continuity and quality in care and gives us a good opportunity to get to know one another well and to work together to achieve a positive childbirth experience. It also means that we are able to take valuable ‘time-out’ when needed, to spend with our families.
Our midwifery care focuses not only on your physical needs, but also your emotional and social needs. We feel that it is important that during our care you feel free to let us know your wishes and expectations and that you are able to talk with us openly.
On a professional level, we are both members of the New Zealand College of Midwives. We attend regular education workshops and undertake Midwifery Standards Review which allows us to reflect on our years practice. Through this process we are able to develop our practice so that we can offer our clients relevant and up-to-date care and information.
We work closely with other allied health professionals including GP's, obstetricians, lactation consultants, physiotherapists, etc - referring our clients to them as appropriate. Our decision to hold our clinics within the health centre environment reflects our collegial relationship with other health care professionals, and we feel that this benefits our clients and their families.
charlotte aarden
I have been practicing in the Central Otago region since 2008. Before this I lived and worked in the Netherlands. I have a good medical background, starting my career in the medical field in 2001 doing a general nursing training first, before enrolling in the midwifery training. I am very used to working in the hospital environment dealing with complications as well as in the smaller maternity settings.
I am very passionate about working with young families during the event of pregnancy, birth and in early parenthood. I also love New Zealand, its outdoors and different cultures. This is why I came to Central Otago in 2008 to live and work, together with my partner. My love for working with young families developed during my nursing training on the paediatric ward and later on in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). What I enjoy in my job so much is being able to help different couples and families with different needs through the transition of becoming a parent during joyful times of childbirth but also during difficult periods. To be part of this special meaningful time and to be able to help you is really an honour to me!
Together with Sonya I provide comprehensive maternity care for women in Central Otago. I strive for a successful outcome of every pregnancy by working together with my clients and their families as well as other health practitioners.
sonya kemp
I developed an interest in midwifery after the birth of my son and have been a registered midwife since 2000 - completing my Midwifery Degree at CPIT, Christchurch. I have spent most of my career as a caseloading midwife in Central Otago, apart from 2007 - 2010 when I worked in Nelson Hospital, both as a core and a community midwife. I enjoy working with families throughout their childbirth experience. Empowering them throughout this unique journey is a privilege that never fails to remind me that I really do have the best job in the world.
I live in Alexandra and can provide experienced, comprehensive maternity care for women in the Central Otago area. I support women choosing to birth at the Charlotte Jean Maternity Unit in Alexandra and also Queen Mary Maternity in Dunedin.
I have a teenage son and too many cats....
