Caroline Gray and Micheal Warwick welcomed Mia at 10.56pm on August 12, weighing 2.92 kilograms.
Ms Gray said having a dedicated maternity unit in their home town removed much of the stress and anxiety that came with giving birth.
"Having a baby is something that’s overwhelming and enormous and there can be quite a lot of apprehension involved, especially for first-time parents," she said.
"Knowing now that there is somewhere dedicated, safe, and purpose-built that you can go to – it takes care of all that uncertainty around what happens if something goes wrong.
"Everything is sorted out now for people in Wānaka who are going to welcome a child into their family. I just hope that people lean into it and go, ‘Cool, we can use this, I don’t have to stress, we are safe’.’"
Mr Warwick said being able to stay in Wānaka meant the family could continue with its normal routine while they awaited the birth of Mia.
It was a big change from the couple’s previous experience when their first child Hayden was born.
They had to spend three weeks in Dunedin Hospital while their unborn baby was monitored because it was in an unstable position. Then, less than 24 hours after returning home, Ms Gray’s water broke and they were advised to return to Dunedin for the birth.
Their travels were not over there. After spending one night in Dunedin Hospital following the birth of their son, they were back on the road to Central Otago.
Mr Warwick said being able to stay in Wānaka meant the family could maintain its normal routine while they awaited the birth of Mia.
"I was able to bounce between home and the maternity unit and make sure I got Hayden to daycare on time," he said.
"And then we were able to bring Hayden into the birthing centre in the mornings and afternoons and keep that continuity with our home life as well as birthing a baby."
Before Health New Zealand’s Wānaka Primary Maternity Unit (Rākai Kahukura) opened its doors two weeks ago, the closest primary birthing units were in Queenstown and Alexandra.
Families in the Upper Clutha District returning from secondary or tertiary care did not have any other postnatal options close to home.
