Anyone ever hired a 'mothers help'?

[redybrek]

Im expecting again.. I get stressed about the state of the house... I KNOW i should just let it go but i can't I end up running myself ragged because I won't compromise on getting the washing up done etc. I suffered from pnd with ds and I'm keen to avoid it this time! A bit of help would be much appreciated, either playing with my 14mo ds or just generally picking up after everyone. That sounds awful, like I want a maid... The company would be appreciated too, everyone thinks I'm a really capable coper but I actually got quite lonely in the early days with ds! I'd like to be able to get out of the house to a mums and tots or something and come back to find the washing folded and the bathwater emptied, all of these things are pathetically helpful to my state of mind! Or just someone who can come with me to the shops and help me wrestle with the new double buggy!

Am I looking for a mothers help? I think I am, but I don't know how to go about sorting it. How much would I pay them? What sort of terms do they expect to work under?

Advice would be much appreciated ladies.

Sounds like you need either a mothers help or a post natal doula. Both of these tend to be comfortable with household chores and looking after baby and ds. Pay would depend on exprience they have and where abouts you are.

Have you tried your local gumtree.com? Theres also nannyjob.com?
Or www.douladirectory.co.uk/ for doulas.
Hope this helps.

redybrek, you could be me.

I mean, really, I totally identify with what you wrote!

I have drafted an advert for a mother's help two mornings a week. I used to have a cleaner who charged £8 per hour (2 years ago) so I thought £10 an hour would be a fair price as it wouldn'e be as much work as a regular cleaning job.

I'd rather get someone from an agency though - it could be tricky if we didn't get on.

thanks for that link missfox. mogwai, tell me how you go on!

We had a mother's help after my ds was born (my first) and she came back for a few months when dd was born, and still does the occasional morning for us. I put postcards up in local post offices, hoping to get a nice local granny who wanted a bit of extra cash, and that's exactly what I got although I suspect I was lucky.

I pay (now) £10 per hour, up from £8 a year ago. She will do anything except cleaning, so ironing, childcare, general tidying and cooking. She is brilliant with the children and because she's done it all before, she knows what to do, so I don't have to explain each household chore like I would to a teenage au pair.