Hawke's Bay midwives say they're exhausted by the increased workload post-Cyclone Gabrielle and worried about the future of whānau.
More than 100 babies have been born since February 14 in the region but midwives say the compromised roads, initial difficulties around communications, power outages and now, the subsequent housing crisis are having a cumulative effect.
"Covid was really hard work, but the flooding has been just as bad," Erin Sandilands says.
"Personally, I feel quite run down, quite tired because even though we're able to get to Napier it takes much longer."
She's been delivering babies in the in the rohe for 20 years and has a reputation for dealing with the most difficult cases.
But Gabrielle's stretched midwives thin across service delivery.
"A lot of women were behind in trying to get their scans and blood tests, a lot of them are having to come to Hastings, that's backing up Hastings so there's going to be heaps of work to catch up on."
A colleague Ripeka Ormsby says there have been bright spots.
Like the support from marae whose families' homes had been decimated by flooding. Those communities have swung in behind midwives to organise maternity packs and baby gear for expecting mums.
"They were giving us cots, bassinets, things that were all good, they were giving it to us to give to others who may be effected. That's the amazing thing we saw... people wanted to help other people even though they were the people who had lost everything... yellow sticker-ed."
That issue isn't going to be solved in the short term for mums and their bubs, Ormsby says.
"Hard on our mums and it will continue to be so because they still haven't got homes so they’re just moving to home to home."
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