“My mind, my anxiety was zero or one hundred, and living in that all day of being constantly terrified that something is going to happen to your child is horrible.
“I can’t explain how torturous that feels, not having the support, not having people around you to help take some of that pressure off.”
She also had her older sons, who were 9 and 10 at the time, to take care of, and was struggling.
Holmes said she attended a postpartum adjustment programme with Weave, where she learnt about Bellyful.
At Bellyful, meals are cooked by volunteers at regular cookathons, then packaged and frozen for delivery.
Referrals come from midwives, Plunket nurses, social workers, healthcare providers, family and friends, and whānau themselves.
There is no cost to receiving the meals.
“It was about just trying to help us not think about dinner a couple of times,” Holmes said.
“There were no questions asked… I didn’t have to talk to anyone about a story; I didn’t have to prove anything; I just wrote in the referral that ‘I am struggling a bit and this would really help’.”
Holmes said the lasagna, spaghetti bolognese, and mac and cheese meals came packaged in predetermined portion sizes.
She also received help from Bellyful after she had her fourth child after a self-referral.
Holmes said in 2025 she felt inspired to give back and cooked the same meals that fed her and her children.
“The very first reason I wanted to volunteer was I was like ‘I need to know how they make that lasagna, because that is so good’.”
“Seeing how it all came together, and how everyone worked together and seeing behind the scenes of what I had received was really beautiful.”
Holmes, now unable to go to the cookathons, helps with deliveries and is joined by her children.
She said it was rewarding to give back.
“I feel really nice being able to help others the way I was helped, and I know how much stress that can take off.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.