Maternity Nurses

Maternity Nurses

A maternity nurse is on duty 24 hours a day six days a week.

Her role is to help new mothers in all aspects of caring for the newborn, from breast feeding to establishing a routine and bathing, and helping mum get back on her feet.

Maternity nurses generally sleep with their charges and either bring the baby to mum for breast feeding during the night or bottle feed the baby themselves so that the mother has a chance to recover from the birth.

The maternity nurse is there to provide the mother with a sense of security during those physically and mentally exhausting first few weeks after childbirth.

For those mothers who don't have family support close at hand or who have had twins or a caesarean it can be an invaluable help. A comforting presence and a willing pair of hands at 3am can make an enormous difference.

Qualifications

People tend to assume that maternity nurses are nurses with some kind of specialist qualification in the field of newborns. This is rarely the case, most maternity nurses tend to be very experienced nannies. However some are registered nurses, ex-midwives or health visitors.

Duties

A Maternity nurse provides total care for mother and baby. She advises on breast feeding and any problems arising from it, teaches first time mothers how to bath and become comfortable around baby, helps establish a routine and provides moral support for the mother when she most needs it.

The maternity nurse will deal with all the baby's laundry, sterilize bottles and prepare light meals for the mother if she is not up to it.

The maternity nurse should involve any other children in the house with the baby but shouldn't be expected to look after other siblings - she is there primarily for the care of mother and baby.

Cost

Maternity nurses earn anything from £600 per week when training, to £1000 per week when fully qualified and experienced (This is usually more for twins).

Daily maternity nurses earn up to £120 per day.

They usually take care of their own tax and National Insurance contributions because they are self-employed.

If the baby hasn't arrived by the time the nurse is due to start work, she should be paid half pay for the first week and full pay for the second week of waiting.

Hours

This is where the cost begins to make sense! The maternity nurse is on duty 24 hours a day six days a week. However they must be given at least one full day off a week..