Childminder or Nanny

[nihatsgirl]

Hello ladies,

Hoping for some guidance on best option. I am having a baby hopefully on the 12/03/2015. ELCS. So fairly certain. I work as a consultant 65 miles away from my home and expect to go back 2 days a week when baby is 6 weeks old. I was thinking of either childminder or nanny for baby between 8:30-4:30. I expect to have a 90 minute break in the day and would ideally like to be able to go breastfeed from 12-13:30

Prem inn or travel lodges in maidstone? Drive there evening before - get nanny to be in hotel room following day with room Service and tv lol - you can pop back and feed - spend night there and nanny come next day. You do the same and then drove home that evening

OP, have you had a Cs before ? Because driving 130 miles a day AND working 8 hours AND BF at night AND expressing while you are recovering from major surgery is going to be very very hard .

Will you have help at home on the other days when you are not working , or will you be looking after a new born and your two older children?

I actually used to stay at premier inn when I started this contract. Your suggestion is not bad, apart from nanny probably not being up for overnight work.

I had 2 ELCS BEFORE and I was driving earlier, 4 weeks post surgery first time and 10 days post second time.. I have lots of help at home. A live in nanny. Grandma who does cooking and hubby is also very helpful . Ideally, I would be home for 6 months at least, but not practical this time. My job is sedentary and I can usually leave when work is done. I just thought childminder /nanny locally would be practical solution. It appears not.

Didn't think you wamted a nanny to stay overnight??

But no reason why she wouldn't

I do a lot of night nannying and new born baby work and normally stay in the clients house but tbh staying in a prem inn etc wouldn't bother me

If you have to work and want to feed baby then staying in prem inn etc for 2 nights near work and nanny going there seems the best option

It's a long drive after cs and if you can afford it then will make going back to work easier

Yes a cm may work but to a certain extent you will have to fit in with them and her other mindees. She may not be at home at lunchtime etc

Called the nurseries near work and all start after 3 months. So a non starter of an idea.

I have resolved to leave baby at home with nanny. It will be tough but needs must

But can't you stay in a Premier Inn during your working days and a day Nanny come and care for your baby each day in your hotel room? Or could you rent a flat on Maidstone short term for the same e.g. Air bnb?

If not I would leave baby at home, I think long car journeys twice a day are not a good idea for baby tbh.

2 week day nights in a prem inn would be cheaper then renting a flat

A nanny would go there and look after baby

Unusual set up but I've done it before in a place in tunbridge wells and in a hotel there. As I originally said a tv and room service and a buggy so can't go for a walk /fresh air

Poor you returning to work at just 6 weeks! I'm a mum & a nanny and a big breastfeeding fan...BUT: I know these comments are not very helpful but just to think about: Don't think you'd be insured to drive 6 weeks after a C-section? My DS would have screamed A LOT on an hour-long car journey at that age which is really stressful for all concerned. I understand you have reservations about your child being far from you for a long working day, but also don't plan so much on the lunchtime breastfeed, there's no reason to assume you can breastfeed your new baby, especially at a time of your choosing, lots of mums or babies can't, plus lots of babies who do bf won't take a feed if they are not in the mood.

I drove within a week of my CS the six week thing is an urban myth. It's when you feel fit to do an emergency stop and as long as your insurer is happy

I was driving after 2 weeks with a Csection, you need your midwife or doctor to say it's ok and to all your insurer to let them know, if it's been less than 6 weeks and you didn't check with a medical professional or let your insurer know you've had a csection, they might not pay out if you have an accident, but as long as you let them know, it's fine.

You can drive after a caesarean when you are well enough to and when you are able to do an emergency stop. It is not usually a set number of weeks. That will obviously depend on how you are healing after surgery.

Air bnb flats can be rented by the night and may be more homely than a hotel and have a kitchen etc.

Driving with the nursery or the shops a few week after a CS is one thing.

Driving for 1.5 hours to a hotel , carrying a baby in a car seat and luggage to a hotel room, settling the baby with nanny, driving to work ,doing 8 hours work ( expressing during your lunch instead of eating or relaxing ) , driving back to hotel , feeding baby - is quite another .

Followed by a night of broken sleep feeding the baby .

Then doing the same thing the next day and driving home .

Any one of two of these things might be realistic - I'm not sure if they all are

The best thing for the baby will be to leave it at home with a qualified and competent nanny. The benefits of breastfeeding instead of expressing/using formula for those two days will not outweigh the negatives of the baby having to spend hours in the car everyday.

It will be hard for you to be away from the baby, but it's the best solution for the baby.