Hire a Maternity Nurse

• Ability to establish a routine
• Helpful with advice and suggestions
• Easy to live alongside
• Ability to cope in an emergency
• Reliability, honesty, and trustworthiness

• Please outline your maternity care qualifications.
• Why do you enjoy working in maternity care?
• What makes you a good maternity nurse?
• Are you happy to educate me about my baby?
• What is your chosen approach to routines?
• When do you normally manage to get a baby sleeping through the night?
• Will you support me if I change my mind about routine?
• Are you happy to share a room with the baby?
• Do you have experience helping breastfeeding mothers?
• Can you give advice on diet and breastfeeding?
• Are you willing to support with night feeds?
• Can you give advice on expressing breast milk and how to store it?
• Do you expect meals or are you happy to cook for yourself?
• Are you happy to give the family some alone time?
• Do you have any dietary requirements?
• Will you be happy to make cups of tea or food for the family occasionally and help with some household chores such as the washing up?
• Do you intend to stay in the house on your days off or go home?
• Do you expect your own tv?

Maternity nurses are trained to look after newborn babies and infants so their tenure with a family tends to be of short duration. They work longer shifts than nannies with many being on call for 24 hours, 6 days a week. They are self-employed unlike nannies who are employed by the family.

Nannies, on the other hand, look after infants aged 3 months and older and their contracts are long-term. Nannies work 10-12 hours per day for 5 or 6 days per week. Typically a nanny doesn’t do night duties, although they are often prepared to babysit if given sufficient notice.