Cecil Tamang
You are a midwife, assisting at someone else’s birth.
Do good without show or fuss.
Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening.
If you must take the lead, lead so that the mother is helped, yet still free and in charge.
When the baby is born, the mother will rightly say: “We did it ourselves!”
-Tao Te Ching
About Me and My Care
I am a mother and a midwife, and live with extended family on a small farm in Port Chalmers. I have two children, and value my time as a mother as well as my vocation of midwifery. I am a passionate supporter of home birth, and I provide midwifery care only for families wishing to birth at home. In my ‘spare’ time I love tramping, reading, and dreaming of new adventures.
I take time to stay abreast of current research, and feel strongly that women and families need quality, balanced information. Once families understand the sometimes conflicting, and often controversial strands of evidence concerning birth choices, I encourage families to trust their ‘gut’ and intuition to make decisions that are right for them. I am passionate about growing the body of knowledge around homebirth, and work to bring the homebirth perspective when interpreting research.
The ‘heart’ of midwifery is about forming genuine relationships based on trust and open communication. I find the connections that develop with birthing families to be one of the most rewarding aspects of midwifery.
”First, do no harm” is a guiding principle in my approach; I believe we cannot improve natural birth through interventions, we can only disrupt it. Very occasionally interventions can be helpful in homebirth: any unforseen emergencies would be carefully dealt to at home. If transfer to hospital were to become the best choice, I accompany families as an advocate and supporter.
Motherhood and midwifery are both amazing journeys; it will be a joy to share part of that journey with you!
Training and Experience
I gained a Bachelor of Midwifery from Otago Polytechnic in 2005. During my training and and following my registration I worked with the Auckland Homebirth Midwives Collective. I have been part of the Dunedin Homebirth Midwives collective since Jan ’09.
Area Covered
I am happy to provide care for women living within about an hour’s drive of my home in Port Chalmers.
Availability
I book a small case-load to ensure I can provide quality care to my clients, while still being a sane and non-stressed mother! Two births per month is a healthy limit for me.
How to Contact Me
To contact me urgently, please call my pager, and leave a message with the operator. For non- urgent questions please ring me at home.
Pager: 086 505 515
Home phone: (03) 472-8683
To send me a message please use the form on the Contact Us page.
Testimonials (Unfortunately it is no longer possible to post testimonials directly onto my page; if you would like to share feedback on the website, please send it to me via the contact page and I will post it. Thanks! Cecil)
Cecil was a wonderful partner for my pregnancy and birth journey. She was as perfect as I hoped. She gave me a lot of valuable information, listened to me, and emperwed me. We talked a lot during my pregnancy, so we did not need to talk at my birth. She supprted me at my labour, but always from behind the scenes. I was impressed by her ability to combine professionalism and spirituality. Cecil’s tenderness, warmth and passion will make any women’s birth experience more fullfilling. We really appreciate her presence throughout our family growing in NZ. Thank you so much Cecil!
Keiko — January 2011
We feel so blessed for you to have been part of Stanley’s journey into our lives, Cecil. Thank you so much for being the amazing, supportive, intuitive woman that you are. The visits you made to our home before and after Stanley’s birth were a delight and we are so thankful for your additional support in the hospital for the birth itself – what a beautiful, healing experience that was, and what a pleasure it was to have your extra pair of hands, kind words and calming presence there! It is a pleasure to know you and we look forward to seeing you and your beautiful family again.
Vicki, Mark, Freddy and Stanley Rogers — January 2011
I met Cecil towards the end of my pregnancy to be present at my second baby’s birth as a backup midwife. Cecil came to me highly recomended and i have to say accolades made in Cecil’s honor can not come close to the amazing gift that came to me by having Cecil present at Maple’s birth.
Due to my “rapid” labour Cecil’s role turned from a backup capacity into the lead midwife there to see Maple come home gently, safely and peacefully at our home. I can’t actually put words to how beautiful it was to have Cecil by my side, her ability to be there and support in such a way that i felt so safe and confident, yet a very subtle presence that was always just enough but never too much.
I have come to know Cecil as a women trueley gifted and wise beyond her years. My wee girl had some minor complications at the time of birth, she cleared herself very quickly and came around to her own strength in a brief time frame. I firmly believe that Cecil’s amazing level of professionalism, spirituality and calm knowing played a major role in our outcome being so positive.
If you are reading this you are one step closer to you and your baby being truly blessed by having Cecil present for the amazing journey that birth is.
Arohanui
Namaste
Cecil sweet Cecil xx
Leigh O’Malley — December 2009
My home birthing experience was sublime. I look back on it with awe and great pride. Throughout pregnancy, birthing and postpartum care, I felt safe, supported and powerful. I feel that my positive experience was largely by virtue of my midwife, Cecil Tamang.
My labour was long and didn’t progress in textbook stages. Cecil was willing to stay with me for the duration. Her presence was supportive but entirely non-intrusive. She let me follow my own instinct and find my own rhythm. She allowed me to take full ownership of my birthing. For this, I cannot thank her enough.
I learned a lot about Cecil during those months. She is wise beyond her years. She is deeply respectful of the mystery and power of birth. She is compassionate, sensitive, and nurturing. She knows just what to say and just when to say it. She is dependable, discreet, and flexible. She has a great sense of humour. Cecil is confident, highly intelligent, and knowledgeable in her profession. She is dedicated and passionate about birth as a normal, natural process. She communicates clearly and has the gift of listening. She acknowledges ones hopes and fears surrounding the birth. If complications arise, she remains level-headed and takes appropriate action. She works collaboratively with the whole family and builds an atmosphere of confidence, comfort and trust. She treats the new little being with reverence. She is calm, oh so calm.
If you are setting out on the path of pregnancy and are looking to be led by a midwife, you may want to look elsewhere; but if you want a more empowering and transformative experience, if you want to find and walk your own path, Cecil will be there when you need her, just beside you, with a clear head, a steady hand, and an open heart.
Tace Wilson, 2011