A Maternity Nurse or A Nanny?

by Jan 21, 2020

In our previous blog post, we discussed reasons for considering external help after delivery. Now, deciding on the type of help required comes to focus. Who do you hire to support you on this new journey and take care of your baby? A nurse? A nanny? And is there a difference?

In this blog post, we will be exploring the roles of maternity nurses and nannies, in addition to sharing the key differences to ease the second step of the decision process, i.e: what’s the proper type of caregiver needed.

What is a Maternity Nurse?

A maternity nurse is a nursing professional who provides care to expectant mothers before, during and after childbirth. After delivery, a maternity nurse will come to your home to help in all aspects of caring for you, the new mother, and the newborn baby.

Maternity nurses can educate new parents on caring for their newborn. They are usually trained in breast and bottle feeding, sleep training, bathing, routine and baby comforting techniques, however this may vary depending on their qualifications.

What is a Nanny?

A nanny is an experienced caregiver who has taken care of lots of babies and young children during her career. A nanny doesn’t necessarily need to be qualified to fulfill this role, however she does need to have lots of hands-on experience working with babies.

Nannies can work with newborns. Their role typically starts from 3 months onwards, after the maternity nurse has finished her care duties. In addition, maternity nannies can provide long term care, well into the baby’s toddler years and beyond if needed.

What is the Difference Between a Nurse and a Nanny?

      • Maternity nurses care for babies immediately after delivery, while nannies most often care for babies that are 3 months+.
      • Maternity nurses are highly qualified professionals with Maternity & Delivery suite and/or NICU experience, whereas nannies perform their roles without any formal qualifications. 
      • Nurses can help with more complex baby needs, such as premature baby care and other baby health-related conditions, whereas nannies take on more of a general supportive role.
      • Maternity nurses are typically hired for the first 12 weeks after delivery, while nannies tend to be hired for a longer term.
      • Nurses are more expensive given their qualifications, whereas nannies may accept slightly lower rates.
      • Nannies can be hired to help with older children, while maternity nurses will mainly support the mum and the newborn.

It’s safe to say that after reading all of this information, if you’re a mum of a healthy 3 months old champ, for example, and need support with the basics for the upcoming year, you’ve most likely concluded that you need a nanny! Now onto the next step, where do you find one? 

Some maternity nurses and nannies work independently. You can usually find them through word of mouth. Others work through companies like Find A Nurse.

Find A Nurse has a wide selection of maternity nurses and nannies on it’s website. So if you’re looking into hiring one, feel free to check findanurse.net or get in touch via our Tell Us Form. We’d be more than pleased to help you find your best match!

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