What should you consider when choosing your maternity nurse/nanny?

In order to forge a successful relationship, we believe it is important to establish what your expectations of the maternity nurse or nanny will be right from the outset.

For example, you may want to think about issues such as:

• Will the nurse be happy taking some direction from you or will you want her to take charge?
  
• Will the nurse encourage you and others to spend time bonding with the baby?
  
• Is the nurse a believer in routine feeding or demand feeding, and which will suit you better?
  
• If breast feeding long term is important to you, will the nurse encourage you in this?
  Will the nurse be sharing a room with your baby and taking care of night feeding?
  
• If the nurse brings the baby to you for night breast feeding, do you expect her to wait up to wind and change the baby afterwards?
  
• If you want time on your own with your new baby, will the nurse help with other siblings?
  
• Will the nurse be around during her time off?
  
• Will the nurse be expected to travel with you? If so, to where, and for how long will you be travelling? Will her duties change during these periods?
  
• How much experience has the nurse had of premature babies, circumcision or multiple births?
  
• Has the nurse worked for mothers who have had a caesarean or postnatal depression?
  
• Is the nurse flexible about extending the duration of the booking if necessary?

We strongly believe that if you have a clear understanding of your expectations from the start, and if there is good communication between you and your chosen nurse, then you will find having a maternity nurse or nanny a great asset to your family.