Sam Kershaw, with her partner Nathan, went into labour with Tilly under candlelight the morning after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Paul Taylor
Sam Kershaw, with her partner Nathan, went into labour with Tilly under candlelight the morning after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Paul Taylor
Sam Kershaw wasn’t just preparing for Cyclone Gabrielle last year; she was also preparing for an overdue baby.
The happy, healthy arrival of Tilly Kershaw the day after the cyclone is a tale of kindness, hope, and eventual joy during a time that brought great uncertainty to many.
In the early hours of February 15, Sam Kershaw went into labour on the living room floor of her dad’s Havelock North property in near darkness.
A single flame and the occasional headtorch were the only sources of light, as Kershaw wondered if she would ever make it to the hospital or get in touch with her midwife.
“When I see candlelight on a movie or on TV, it instantly triggers that memory,” she said.
It was a 6.45am call from her friend on the 14th that began her cyclone story.
“She said have you looked at your street?”
Elliot Cres in Havelock North was flooded and their car wouldn’t be able to get out.
“We never imagined where we were in Havelock would have that kind of flooding.”
Flooding in Havelock North on February 14 and 15, 2023 blocked roads and prevented vehicles from getting around. Photo / Sam Kershaw
A million thoughts raced through her mind.
Would they be able to get to the hospital? How would they be able to cope with caring for a newborn if Hawke’s Bay was weeks without power?
Partner Nathan waded through the water to see how far the flooding went. Luckily, it was only about 60 metres out that the flooding subsided.
“There was a wonderful neighbour we’d never met from up the road that had a ute and said he’d leave his keys in the car if we needed to take that.”
Once the water level started to drop, Kershaw’s friend managed to pick her up and take her to her dad’s place nearby.
“He’s a retired GP, so that was a relief knowing that he was there if we couldn’t get to the hospital. We didn’t know what kind of road damage had occurred or if the hospital was accessible.”
A wave of relief came after realising a nearby medical centre was open and the road to the hospital was clear, but the next 24 hours leading up to Tilly’s birth weren’t the ones anyone was expecting.
“Because the phones were still down, I couldn’t contact my midwife. I went to bed, and my waters broke at midnight. As the midwife predicted, everything kicked off really fast.
“We needed to conserve the torches and candles, so we just had one tiny candle on the table as I was going through labour on the living room floor for three hours.”
It was soon time to go to the hospital, but Hastings’ temperamental rail barriers had come down over the road, triggered to drop as a precaution when power cuts out.
Never mind that the rail bridges in Waipawa to the south and the Tūtaekuri to the north had been smashed to pieces, and no trains would run for weeks.
“I was screaming at my partner to drive through them, but he was worried a train was coming so he stopped the car and checked,” Kershaw said.
After finally reaching the hospital, another challenge became clear. Their midwife was still stuck in Napier.
“I didn’t hear this, but one of the first things the hospital staff said to my partner was that they were really understaffed, because so many staff couldn’t get to the hospital.”
Things were looking uncertain, but soon, an angel emerged.
It came in the form of a private maternity nurse who had been sleeping at the hospital after her shift because she couldn’t get home to her family.
“She was the most phenomenal midwife in the world.”
Matilda Elsie Kershaw - born 7am 15.2.23. Photo / Sam Kershaw
So begins the story of Matilda Elsie Kershaw, born at 7am February 15, a healthy 3.43kg, happy, bubbly baby girl.
Kershaw said little Tilly is “such a champ” and is doing well a year on.
She says she’ll tell her daughter about her eventful birth when she’s old enough to understand the full gravity of the situation.
“We were very lucky. So many people had things much worse off, and we’re very grateful for the help we got.”
Kershaw is set to meet her guardian angel midwife in line with Tilly’s first birthday and she’s planning a present to say thank you.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
