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How Long Shall We Book?

Your Lifestyle and Expectations

We appreciate that it can be difficult to anticipate how long will suit you, especially if you are a first time parent, but if you are planning to establish a firm routine, we would recommend booking 6-12 weeks. Our minimum booking fee is 2 weeks and this will support you through the most intense period upon discharge from hospital.

During your telephone consultation, we will discuss the best options available to you. Most clients book solely live-in or live-out, however, others have booked a combination of the two. For example, the initial two weeks may be live-in six days a week whilst the remaining 6 weeks could be nights-only.

The guide <here> will outline some of the duties your Maternity Nurse will carry out and the information provided below will give you a general guide to how the needs of you and your baby may change as the weeks progress.

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Weeks 1 – 2

Many parents find the first two weeks a massive adjustment and so this period is all about helping new parents to find their own feet. 

At this early stage, your baby will mostly sleep, feed and poop and so you will be taught how to feed, wind, change, swaddle, bathe baby and care for the umbilical cord; lessons that are crucial for the everyday care of the newborn baby.

Many mothers can often forget about their own well being, so as well as caring for the new baby, Maternity Nurses also ensure that new mothers get plenty of rest and that they are eating nourishing meals to promote a speedy recovery from childbirth.

For breastfeeding mothers, your Maternity Nurse will make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids to produce a good supply of milk and help you to establish the right feeding position for baby to ‘latch on’. They will then settle baby allowing you to get as much rest as possible.

For those who prefer to bottle-feed or express, your Maternity Nurse will teach you all you need to know about trouble-free feeding, how to ensure that baby is comfortable, how to use, sterilise and care for equipment, as well as advise on the correct teat size to ensure baby doesn’t gulp air at the beginning or end of feeds. This method will also allow her to exclusively take care of nights if you wish her to so that you can get a good uninterrupted night’s sleep.

The first two weeks tend to pass in a blur, and many who book a Maternity Nurse for the minimum 2 weeks often wish they’d booked theirs for 4-6 weeks instead. Whilst an extension is sometimes possible, this is subject to the Maternity Nurse’s diary, so do keep this in mind. 

Weeks 2 – 4

If breastfeeding, your milk supply should now be established and, depending on baby’s weight, you will be encouraged to feed your baby every three hours. Your baby will be going through growth spurts and will be hungrier than before, so the feeding routine will need to be adjusted accordingly.

This can be a challenging time for both mother and baby, and having a professional Maternity Nurse to care for you night and day makes this stage far easier to manage.

Thankfully these growth spurts tend to last no longer than 48 hours, after which your baby will be happy and settled once again.

At four weeks some babies can develop milk spots (also known as baby acne), and this is also the time when reflux, either acid or silent, can develop.

Weeks 4 – 6

At this stage, your baby is likely to be feeding every three hours and will still be waking in this pattern through the night. You may wish to introduce a ‘dream feed’ at 11pm or your baby can be left to wake up according to its own rhythm during the night.

Whatever your preference, your Maternity Nurse will be on hand to feed and settle baby after each feed – usually eight times a day at this stage – allowing you to rest as much as possible and avoid the exhaustion that can often set in at this stage if professional help were not on hand.

Your baby may start to smile at this stage, and should be happy to spend time alone on a playmat. The introduction of tummy time (laying baby on their tummy) will encourage the strengthening of neck and back muscles. Some babies will be tracking with their eyes, smiling at parents and interested in brightly coloured objects.

Weeks 6 – 8

Your Maternity Nurse is likely to recommend the gradual introduction of a four hourly feeding pattern. Winding will be easier, and your baby will be learning to wind himself as he is gently brought upright during feeding time. The night feeds will likely drop down to one as your baby will have fed well throughout the day. Whilst having a Maternity Nurse on hand, you will have the freedom to resume existing routines like getting back to work, looking after older children and running errands, as you will feel well rested from the ample opportunity to rest that having a Maternity Nurse provides you with. 

Your baby is likely to start smiling at you at this stage, and will be happy to lie in the pram/moses basket for longer periods of time looking at toys or an overhead mobile. Tummy time will be increased gradually.

Some mothers describe this as the period where they begin to feel more like themselves again.

Weeks 8 – 10

Baby is likely to be settling into a four-hourly feeding routine. Each feed taking anywhere between 40 minutes and an hour and a half, six times a day meaning that another pair of hands will be a huge relief. Your Maternity Nurse is likely to have structured the day so that your baby has a 90-minute sleep in the morning after the first feed, a two or three-hour sleep at lunchtime and a short nap in the afternoon before bath and bedtime. A small feed will be offered when your baby wakes up during the night. Your Maternity Nurse will continue to assist you according to your method of feeding, and will settle your baby when night waking occurs, caring for your baby and freeing up your time.

During waking times your baby will get plenty of stimulation through spending time on their baby play gym, gazing at mobiles, games with their Maternity Nurse, as well as through all the attention they receive from family and friends. Your Maternity Nurse will continue to assist with all the duties outlined <here>.

First immunisations are given at eight weeks and can lead to baby feeling a little unsettled however your Maternity Nurse will guide you through this period, making it as stress-free as possible.

Weeks 10 – 12

Your baby will be on what is now a firmly established four hourly feeding pattern, comprising six feeds per 24-hour period, with each one lasting up to an hour, or thereabouts. The morning sleep will be reduced to one hour, a longer sleep will be taken after lunch and a short nap before his bath/bedtime. Some, but not all babies will be sleeping through the night from 10/11pm until 7/8am by this stage.

To ensure they keep to their schedule, babies will need to be engaged and played with during their waking times to ensure they don’t drift off. Your baby will enjoy being read to, spending time under the baby play gym with toys suspended above, as well as listening to songs and music for stimulation.

Week 12

If you wish to employ a nanny after your Maternity Nurse completes her booking, our sister agency, Imperial Nannies and Governesses can assist you. 

Please click here or call 0207 795 6220 and ask to speak to one of our expert Consultants.

We would recommend your baby is at least 12 weeks old before employing a nanny in order to ensure that your baby receives the appropriate care and attention. Before 12 weeks, we recommend engaging a Maternity Nurse.

Pre-term Babies

Our Maternity Nurses are also experienced in caring for pre-term babies (those born at less than 38 weeks’ gestation) and will work with baby’s ‘adjusted’ age. She will calculate this based on the due date and his gestational age in order to accurately set up the most suitable routine for baby to thrive. The ‘adjusted’ age also helps accurately assess expected developmental abilities to give them time to catch up.

Please click here to request a call back during office hours, fill in this form, or call us on 0207 795 6299.

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“Expecting my first baby, or babies (twins), I felt like I was entering a whole new world in terms of Nannies and Maternity Nurses (not to mention everything else that goes with babies!). Maternally Yours put my mind at ease the moment we spoke, she didn't make me feel at all silly for my endless list of concerns and was thorough in finding out exactly the type of Maternity Nurse I would need.  Within a day or 2, I had a list of potential candidates, each with an extensive library of references and it was immediately clear that Maternally Yours had summed up both me and my requirements perfectly. I spoke with my first choice of Maternity Nurse the next day and all was agreed and wrapped up within a few days of my first call. I would without a doubt highly recommend Maternally Yours.  They are friendly, diligent and certainly made me feel as if I was their most important client.”

Samantha Wright

Parent

“We naturally used Maternally Yours services for the second time. Just like the first time our request was handled very quickly and the candidates sent to us were a perfect match, sadly we only needed one Maternity Nurse! The follow up done by the agency is seamless and continuous from the beginning until the end which is very reassuring. I couldn’t recommend Maternally Yours more and will definitely contact them again should our family expand a bit more.”

Mrs. Marion Petard

Parent

“After unexpectedly finding myself without a Maternity Nurse quite close to my due date, Maternally Yours came swiftly to my rescue and turned what would have been a very stressful situation into a smooth and reassuring process... Even with a specific set of search criteria and parameters, we were matched with a number of excellent options and are very much looking forward to [our Maternity Nurse] join us later this month. I would wholeheartedly recommend Maternally Yours to my friends and relatives looking to find a Maternity Nurse.”

Antonia Weisman

Parent

“Maternally Yours has always been so helpful and understanding of our needs, from the moment I first called them from the hospital back in 2013 after my first son was born up until recently with our second. They can always find you a good Maternity Nurse, even at short notice, and make you feel like they really understand your needs as a mother and take into account what you are going through at any given time, for example, both our babies had severe reflux and allergies. We have always been highly impressed and satisfied with the service we have received, and they even found us, someone, to help us out over Christmas when our son was very poorly. Amazing service and highly efficient. So grateful to them for all their help over the past 4 years!"

Tanya M

Parent

“Maternally Yours are an extremely professional and trustworthy agency, they are caring and incredibly efficient. They understood our needs and provided us with a really exceptional Maternity Nurse - in another league from others.  The team at Maternally Yours were just wonderful - we really highly recommend them!”  

Isabella Bernardeau

Parent

“My husband and I reached out to Maternally Yours hoping for assistance with our 3-week old son particularly with getting him on a schedule and his reflux. They immediately found us very well qualified candidates that would suit our needs perfectly. We had an extensive choice and the nurse we chose started immediately and my husband and I had some time together, much-needed rest,  and our son adores her, while immediately making an impact on his reflux and night schedule. We trust her implicitly and highly recommend the agency.”    

Erin

Parent

“The service was very professional, efficient and prompt and we were given an excellent choice of individuals, all of whom were of a very high standard and had an excellent track record. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to other parents – particularly those who are new to parenting and would benefit with some early expert advice!“    

Beth Kane

Parent

“They made sure to send me only the best quality candidates, saving me a huge amount of time and vetting work, and modified the candidate profile as I revised my requirements during the process... They provided background and references for each candidate in very digestible packets and made a process that could otherwise have been extremely time-consuming and stressful very straightforward.  I felt confident I would find a great person through them and I did.”

Alexandra B.

Parent

“Maternally yours was the only agency we used when searching for a Maternity Nurse. They were recommended to us by friends and after a brief discussion, they sent us a short-list of highly qualified candidates. We immediately found an exceptionally talented Maternity Nurse and were extremely happy with our choice. We are grateful to Maternally Yours for introducing [our Maternity Nurse] into our lives and for helping us to find the perfect match for our needs in such an efficient and painless manner.”  

Mrs Michal Saad

Parent

“We hired a Maternity Nurse through Maternally Yours and we hired a nanny through Imperial Nannies. Both were exceptional experiences. All of the applicants were well qualified and personable. Our only problem was that it was hard to choose who to hire with so many wonderful applicants! Our Maternity Nurse was loving, kind and provided exceptional care to my daughter (and me) after her birth. And our nanny has continued to provide care, love and education to our daughter who is almost one year old now. I highly recommend using Maternally Yours and Imperial Nannies to help you find an exceptional Maternity Nurse or nanny.”  

Vanessa Rivers

Parent

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Maternity Nurse Agency UK. Caring for you and your baby since 1996. Scrupulously checked and verified Maternity Nurses.

Maternally Yours
MaternallyYrsMaternally Yours@MaternallyYrs·
22 Apr 2019

Many families rely on baby monitors for peace of mind, and to alert them when baby wakes. Our Maternity Nurses find them invaluable too.
Here's a link to Which? most recent baby monitor guide. http://ow.ly/IYla50pDJ4o
#babymonitor #newbornbaby

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Imperial Household Staff Limited

Maternally Yours is part of Imperial Household Staff Limited, the largest domestic recruitment agency supplying high calibre household staff for all domestic situations throughout the UK and overseas.

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