How to choose a nanny

A letter to you from Audrey Black, the Newborn Nanny. Audrey is a British nanny, mother and grandmother, loving life in tropical Singapore.

Dear Mum,

Congratulations, you are beginning the biggest adventure of your life! Before the fun really begins, it’s a good idea to get yourself as clued up on what’s likely to come. Read as much as you can but be selective. There is a ridiculous amount of information on baby raising out there, not all of it will be suited to you. If what you’re reading doesn’t entirely make sense to your way of thinking, find different books or articles that do.

Pregnancy is a good time to find your tribe. Join some Facebook and WhatsApp groups with other folk due at the same time as you. Having a group of people who are going through the same adventure as you is really important for both your physical and mental health. Friends made at this time can become lifelong. It can also be useful to find out from mums who are further ahead of you, what equipment and baby ‘stuff’ was really necessary as far as they were concerned, and what never left the packaging!

It’s a good idea to get domestic arrangements sorted out as early as possible too. Who do you want around you to help and support you? Family is amazing but obviously it is not always possible or practical (especially if you’re an expat) to have them around all the time. What kind of help do you think you’ll need? Maybe if you already have a cleaner, you can arrange for them to visit more regularly and that will be enough for you. Perhaps you already have a helper in residence which will make a massive difference to the workload, or you may be considering a doula, a confinement nanny, or a postnatal supporter like me. Find out as much as you can about the different possibilities as early as you can so you can book them in ahead of time. There are many services available to support you in every aspect of baby rearing so don’t be afraid to ask for help; there is plenty out there and we all need help sometimes. There are no prizes given for martyrdom in parenthood.

One of my favourite tasks as a newborn nanny is visiting prospective parents just before their baby is due to help them assess if they’ve got everything they’ll need for the imminent arrival. They will, undoubtedly, have many things they will never need and there are always things you don’t find out about until after. It’s good fun to see what friends and family have sent as gifts. You can always tell which ones have had children and which ones haven’t by the practicality of the gifts! As long as you know where the nearest baby equipment shops are, you can get most things fairly easily here.

The first few weeks of being a parent are stressful, tiring and scary but are also awe-inspiring, incredible and produce the kind of emotions you didn’t know were possible. No amount of preparation will cover every eventuality, but more is always preferable to less. I wish you much happiness in your journey as a parent. Embrace the messy, revel in the silly and enjoy every moment.

Love,

Audrey

Audrey Black | The Newborn Nanny

Audrey is a newborn nanny. Her goal as a postnatal supporter is to help parents gain confidence in their ability to care for their new baby. This confidence will help to make the first few weeks a bit more fun, rather than just a matter of survival. Audrey has worked with babies and children for over 30 years, keeping up to date with current trends and medical opinion on how best to support new parents. She offers a free pre or postnatal consultation, either in person or online, to establish your likely needs and for her to explain exactly what are her areas of expertise.

Contact Audrey on 8498 9730, audrey@newbornnanny.sg, www.newbornnanny.sg.

Kathy Rougier | Empowa

Kathy is a trained postpartum doula and mother of one, who spent over 20 years in corporate business. She has lived in the UK, Thailand and Singapore and uses all of her training, life experience and passion for coaching people to support new mums, and families, through the new challenges they will face. This includes holding space for their birth journey, feeding, lactation, newborn care, self care for mothers, coping mechanisms for new fathers and redefining their new futures. Empowa is all about empowering new parents to be the very best version of themselves. When a woman gives birth, she gives birth to a new baby, and a new mother. That change in momentum can feel monumental and women can be left feeling like less of the person they used to be, and not knowing the person they have become. Empowa finds the new mum’s strengths, from past and present, identifies and empowers them to be the most amazing new version of themselves, be that a stay-at-home mother or a working parent.

Contact Kathy on 9295 1035, empowermentdoula@gmail.com, www.empowa.sg.

Anisya

Anisya is an open marketplace for foreign domestic workers (FDWs) - helpers - and the families who employ them. While most helper employment agencies charge the helper two months’ salary to be placed with an employer, Anisya offers their marketplace with absolutely no charges for FDWs.

Using Anisya’s services, which can include handling all the paperwork if you’d prefer, promotes employment freedom and empowers both workers and employers with informed choices. They achieve this by eliminating the debt burden on  FDWs when they seek jobs; enabling informed employment matches for FDWs and employers through an online and open marketplace; valuing every FDW as carers and stewards of families’ wellbeing; and promoting empathy between employers and FDWs to build sustained and effective working relationships.

Anisya is a proud social enterprise member of the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise and the Business For Good community which promotes the use of business for social impact.