Homestart volunteer

[JLT24]

First time mum to be. My HV has offered me a Homestart volunteer I think it’s once a week for 2-3 hours once my DH returns to work after his six weeks paternity leave. I have a chronic illness that requires a lot of rest, if I over exert myself I end up feeling very unwell (I’ve learnt to rest and pace as much as possible and know this will require a lot of adjustment when baby is here. For example I do every task sitting down to conserve energy. I cook basic meals. I only leave the house for a couple of hours on a weekend when DH can drive us. I don’t do any exercise etc etc).

Just wondering what sort of things I could ask the volunteer to support me with? Apparently you can’t leave the baby with them otherwise I’d ask them to watch the baby whilst I have a nap. And also you can’t ask them to do housework which would save me some energy (we have a cleaner but I still do laundry, cooking and tidying each day plus a few admin tasks). I find chatting exhausting so don’t need someone to come and chat even though it would be nice because I’m going to be on my own 5 days a week when DH is out at work. I’m lost as to what I can ask them to do and don’t want to waste their time!

Thanks for the replies. There have been a few very helpful suggestions that I hadn’t thought of. One is for them to hold the baby, I can still have a lie down and rest but remain in the same room.

The other is to drive us to a soft play. I could definitely use this to attend a baby group as the driving and them holding the baby whilst at the group would save me a lot of energy than if I went by myself. I wonder if playgroups will charge for a second adult to attend 🤔 I shall have to contact some and see.

Another was for me to consider getting a wheelchair to be able to get outside without the exertion of walking. I shall have to see if I can find a cheap one.

The Red Cross hire them out and sometimes they have older ones that you can buy for very little. I think you have what I had and a wheelchair was amazing for being able to go and do things that I otherwise couldn’t.

I did a year as a home start volunteer a little while ago….. the party line is we are not responsible for looking after the children, you are incharge . However, we would play with a child when a parent got jobs done, I used to play Lego with a little boy for two hours a week while his mum did her college work in her bedroom.

I helped another parent who had a bad back , and I would bring shopping in push the vacuum around ( light cleaning, we arnt cleaners but most of us would have been more then happy to wash up while you bathed the kids for example!)

however you don’t have to worry, the manager will come out and chat to you about your needs before you are assigned a volunteer , so she will let you know the sort of things that would be a good idea .

Ideally they could mind them whilst I had a nap rather than me doing chores as I can’t do 2-3 hours of chores in one go!! But I was told you can’t leave them on their own with the baby so perhaps they can ‘mind them’ whilst I have lie down the sofa/do a meditation?

I volunteered until recently with Homestart and absolutely could look after children if a parent needed a nap. Also helped out with household chores. It was mostly a befriending service though. I hope it works out well for you. I've kept in touch with a few mums and it's lovely to see them thriving

Because a couple of posters seem to think that disabled people shouldn’t be allowed to have children it seems

We paid a lady to look after our youngst child so I could sleep/rest. She was a retired teacher.
She started then the child turned 1. They went to the zoo together.
It was a great help as a mum with a hidden disability. I didn't a friend but rest. My husband worked full time.