Birth of new era for pregnancy service

ANDREW GORRIE/The Dominion Post

SEEING THE JOY: KellyMacdonald with eight-month-old son Adam at the new support centre. She has received help from the service during two pregnancies and now does voluntary work for it.

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Three years and 400 babies after Situila Marsters set up shop in her house, Wellington's pregnancy support service finally has a permanent home.

A crowd of mothers and babies turned up to the opening of Pregnancy Help's new regional branch in Cannons Creek all recipients of support from the service.

Ms Marsters, of Cannons Creek and a member of the branch committee, began the service in 2005, giving her phone number to new or expectant mothers.

"Then we were fortunate to be offered two rooms, but it was upstairs and people found it really difficult to find us."

Since last year, the service had been hunting for a new home. The Cannons Creek Opportunity Centre offered it ground-floor rooms in the suburb's shopping centre for reduced rent.

"It's visible, it's easy for our mums to come through and we're able to expand our services," Ms Marsters said.

The branch one of 10 across New Zealand serves the entire Wellington region. Ms Marsters estimated that nearly 400 women had received maternity wear, clothes for newborns, bassinets, bedding or advice since it was established. Another 1800 phone and email inquiries had been answered. The expansion had come at the right time, because the service was getting busier as the recession bit, she said.

Kelly Macdonald, of Cannons Creek, received clothing, nappies and a bassinet when expecting daughter Samantha in 2005 and again last year when son Adam, now 8 months old, was born.

The support made both pregnancies much easier, she said. She has spread that goodwill by volunteering at the centre.

"I was able to see the joy on people's faces when you turn up with a bassinet or a bag of clothes."