We recently interviewed one of our lovely maternity nurses to give you as clients an idea of what a maternity nurse is and what their day is like – maternity nurses are becoming more popular in Switzerland and the value to the families when you find the right maternity nurse is invaluable.
Interview with a Rockmybaby Maternity Nurse
Why did you decide to become a maternity nurse?
I have been a nanny for many years and I have seen different children of various ages but always had a soft spot for the tiny ones so I decided to become a maternity nurse! I like to be part of the learning process for new parents & guide them into taking care of their new bundle of joy which can be quite frightening for many at the beginning and my role is to encourage & support them, give them confidence and help them to fully enjoy this time with their little one.
How do you work? i.e. your role and duties, i.e. how do you add value etc.?
My role as a maternity nurse is to take care of baby and mother after birth, usually once discharged from hospital and back home. My duties are feeding, settling and changing baby, bathing him, keep his areas clean & tidy , keep his equipment washed and cleaned, if needed do his laundry & ironing.
I work on a 24hrs basis for 5/6/7 days a week depending on the client’s needs and length of booking, I usually have a break of 4/5 hours per day as agreed with mom.
When I start any of my roles I like to have a diary to record every day of the baby’s first months to keep track of his health, growth, feeding patterns in order to establish a good feeding & sleeping routine that the baby can thrive on and that works well for the family but also in case someone else has to take care of the baby they can find as such information as needed about what the baby has been doing and can easily follow what has been done so far.
When I work I like to be flexible as much as possible to allow an easy and happy transition for baby and mum so that they can settle well once back home, I am always happy to help wherever and however I can with older children or just help around the house, doing grocery shopping or similar. If I can do anything to let everyone enjoy this nice time with their little one I am happy to do it.
From the moment we decide to work together I keep in touch with the mum and offer my support on all levels by:
- responding to all questions baby & mum related and offer advice pre & post birth
- offering advice on nursery layout
- discussing baby clothes, items & other equipment needed
- talking about family routines and lifestyle & understand how things run in the household
- discussing family organization related to older children if there are any
- talking about my accommodation on & off duty and food preferences
- if needed and possible meet the family in person before baby comes
Can you give an example 24 hour schedule?
Routines can be different for every single baby and family, the following is an example of a 3 weeks old baby boy born 3800g, who is fed with breast milk or expressed breast milk and formula milk, mom had a Cesarean and takes care of him some hours during the day, dividing her time with the care of 2 older children.
6:45 AM Baby wakes up, I change his diaper, talk to him, keep him calm & prepare his bottle.
7:00 AM Baby takes a bottle, burps and I settle him back to sleep.
8:00 AM Baby is asleep and I use this time to get myself ready, sterilize all bottles & do laundry
10:50 AM Baby starts to wake up, I change his diaper & bring him to mom to breastfeed, and I bring a drink for mom as well. Meanwhile I tidy up the nursery.
11:15AM I collect baby, I burp him and settle him.
12:00 PM I prepare some lunch for me & mom while baby is asleep.
1:30 PM I take the baby out for a walk & run any errands if needed( post,
office, grocery shopping etc…)
3:00 PM Back home baby is awake, I change his diaper & I give him a bottle of EBM ( expressed breast milk).
3:45 PM I settle baby to sleep and I lay down for a rest as well.
6:20 AM Baby is awake and I prepare his bath. I give him a bath and keep time to a max of 10mins. I dry him up and put him in his pyjamas.
7:00 PM I bring baby to mother for a feed. I also bring something to drink for mum.
7:40 PM I collect baby from mum.
8:00 PM After I’ve burped the baby I settle him and put him to sleep in his crib.
8:15 PM I join family for dinner, talk about the baby and how he was on that day, then I help tidying up and cleaning around kitchen/dining room, afterwards I leave parents and wish them goodnight and I sit for sometime in living room to watch TV or surf the internet on my laptop.
11:00 PM I wake baby up, change his diaper and feed him with a bottle of formula milk.
11:45 Pm I Settle him and put him to sleep. I go to bed as well in the same room as the baby
3:15 I wake baby up, change his diaper and feed him with a bottle of formula.
3:50 AM Baby burps, settles and falls back asleep easily.
6:45 AM Baby starts to be awake.
What do you believe is the value of a maternity nurse?
The choice of hiring a maternity nurse could be seen as a luxury but thinking about the first months of a baby’s life and how this time has an impact on his coming months and first years, a maternity nurse will allow you to enjoy this stage of your child’s life in a more serene way by giving you and your baby a easy & comfortable start of your life together.
Lack of sleep, fatigue, emotional feelings, older siblings & family settings can make this time hectic and overwhelming and allowing the help from a maternity nurse will not only save you some nights of sleep but it will provide you with someone knowledge about your baby and I am always there to take care of him/her and guide you in caring for him/her in every aspect of their life, making you more relaxed that he/she’s in good hands and at the same time instilling good habits and setting a good routine for your baby that suits your family and that will make things easier once the maternity nurse has to leave.
For your maternity nurse requirements – please email us on info@rockmybaby.ch and we would be thrilled to help you find the perfect match for your family.