"I Need
What is a Postnatal Practitioner?
A Postnatal Practitioner can be defined by a qualified home help who can attend the home from 38 weeks Pregnant all the way up to baby is a year old. The difference with a Postnatal Practitioner to other services is that they can work as many or as little hours as the family needs or they choose to work, and work on a hourly rate of pay which can be tailored to the practitioners experience and personal preference. A practitioner can be extremely flexible with the job role, no day will be the same. They are multi skilled and have a wide range of knowledge and often act as the ‘middle man’ or woman to sign post to additional services and support.
They can work anytime of day or night. There is always someone available around the clock. Because they charge by the hour different families will be able to afford different levels of care. A lot of other services are only available to the wealthy or some seek support for free from charities, but there is a large portion of families who fall in the middle with no option for postnatal care of any kind.
This is where our Postnatal Practitioners fill the gap.
Reasons you might seek a Practitioner
.Watch this video to understand a little more about what Postnatal Practitioners do.
What our Practitioners are trained in
- Implimenting Gentle Sleep Routines
- Supporting Mum and Family to feed their way
- General Baby Care such as bathing, nappies.
- Practical support for families of Twins, Triplets and Multiples
- How to recognise and Support a family with the symptoms of Colic, Reflux and Allergies
- How to support Maternal Mental Health
- Therapy Massage treatments and Rituals to help Mum recover quicker from Birth
- Light House work
- Emotional Support
- Listening ear to talk through any worries with
- Baby Massage
- Bonding techniques
- Coping with crying practical support and helpful tips
- and so much more ...
- Our Practitioners have extensive training in.....
Safeguarding, confidentiality, the roles limitation and professional conduct. We teach our practitioners a wide range of different scenarios and families they meet so that are well prepared and experienced. They are always able to listen and adapt to suit the family needs.
- Gentle Sleep Methods
Are practitioners are taught nearly everything they need to know about a babies sleep, from sleep cycles, to circadian rhythms, hormones, sleep associations, Gentle sleep routine, other sleep routines that families might have look at online and in books. We also educate in safe sleeping and minimizing SID risks, to keep baby safe and you as the family well informed.
- Feeding Support
Our practitioners are taught a wide range of feeding methods from breast feeding, bottle feeding, supplement feeding, tube feeding and everything in-between. They can help with position and attachment, getting a good supply going, hormones related to breast milk supply, breast massage techniques to stimulate milk production, they have good knowledge of common situations that occur during breast feeding as well as expressing milk and how to store and feed baby with it. They have good knowledge in the correct way to prepare a bottle of formula, cleaning and sterilising bottles and everything associated with bottle feeding and pace feeding. They have also trained in many a varied method of feeding and everything in between.
- General Baby Care
Our practitioners are experts in the fourth trimester and how baby should be looked after in this period. They can bath a baby and look after the umbilical cord correctly, They have a good understanding of common childhood illness and what signs to look out for. They can help with bonding with baby and understand how important development is through play and can advise on useful equipment to help make life a little easier for you the family.
- Support with Colic, Reflux and Allergy
The understand the definition of Colic, signs and symptoms that fall under the Colic heading. What other things it could be other than just crying. They can look at Reflux as an option and have a good understanding of how to effectively treat reflux or signpost to the correct additional help and support you may need. They understand the differences between both GOR and GORD (gastro oesophageal reflux disease.) signs and symptoms and possible causes and how to treat the causes. We also educate our practitioners on possible allergies that might be contributing to an unsettled baby. The have extensive training on how they can help and support a family experiencing these issues in the correct manner.
- Support with Twins, Multiples, Premature babies
They understand the different types of twins and twin births, potential health problems that multiples are more at risk of. They know how to feed multiples and sleep methods and routines that are useful for multiples. They understand safe sleep techniques with multiples and they also know ways to help you the family cope with crying when it is more than one baby at the same time. They also understand the practical element of what equipment is needed to make life easier for the you the family and also different ways babies can be washed together or separate if you need some advice.
- Mothers Mental Health
Our practitioners are trained to look out for signs, symptoms or postnatal depression and can sign post for treatment of Postnatal Depression, Psychosis, OCN, Anxiety, postnatal depletion, birth trauma. They understand how to support a mother in these times and help the family to cope and adjust and understand. They can look at how they can sign post you to additional support outside of the home, specialist care, we can save you the mum the effort of finding resources and help for herself.
- The Care of new Mothers
They have some knowledge in Pelvic floor exercises to help strengthen it again. Some knowledge of gentle stretches and movements to help tone the body again and feel better, they can look at nutritious food to help nourish you back to full health. They can look at the treatment options you could consider in your own home such as massage and special herbal rituals. They can offer ways to help you with practical hands on help around the home, such as washing and cleaning and cooking etc … They can also show you ways you can play with baby to create a secure bond.
But how much does it cost?
- Each Practitioner charges slightly different amount depending on experience and local area.
- All Practitioners charge by the hour and usually work a min of 2 hours but might offer discount for over 8 hours
- Practitioners are extremely flexible to times of day, different requirements each week/month
- Every practitioner can offer a free consultation to discuss your needs and budget
- Some practitioners have different skills sets so might charge slightly different depending on what services you require
- Our Practitioners are easy to talk to so don't hesitate to ask questions and discuss pay in great detail.
- Never under estimate the power of only a few hours a week help if that's all you can afford.
- Don't be afraid to ask for the exact help and support you need
- Don't be afraid to change and adapt your requirements with your practitioners.
- Most Practitioners require payment upfront for the week or month but some might send you a invoice at the end of month if you are unsure of how much care you will need. you will be required to sign a contract for this.