Advice on new career with pregnant women and new mums

[Pupuce]

All right.... I need some advice. Some of you know that I am going to be out of a job in a few months (other thread) and I am seriously considering a change of direction...
I love the subject of pregnancy and care of babies... and whilst some of you believe I regurgitate GF stuff only I am much more open minded than that.
What sort of training are you familiar with (I read some of you have worked with Michel Odent) that might help me get more professional experience in these fields (I don't mind retraining) - I am not sure what sort of job I would do (yet), but it would have to be with pregnant mums and with mothers of young children... Any suggestion/experience/advice MUCH appreciated

I hesitate to suggest it, as it seems such hard work for so small a financial return, but have you thought about training as a midwife? In the UK now you do not have to have a nursing degree to enter the profession and I think you'd be very good at it Pupuce! Once established, you could set up an alternative birth centre in Kent and become the Janet Balaskas/Zita West of Tunbridge Wells...

Why not train as a Health Visitor? I've always thought, since having my ds what a rewarding and interesting job that must be.. (any HV's reading this may correct me here!)Or a child psychologist, but that does take years of training. Have no idea how you would go about being a HV though.. good luck, it sounds exciting.

What about training as a doula or as an NCT antenatal teacher? Michel Odent does doula courses and NCT can provide you with info about AN training.

Alibububbles- I want to "speak" to you about being a Doula- saw your posts on this in earlier threads....
Marina - thanks, I had thought about that and maybe I should speak to mine... I have 2 reservation about the midwife idea though... not sure I can stand the hands-on approach during labour... and 2, I have no relative in this country or friends that I can call last minute to say : I need to leave, can you watch the kids (I am sure I could sort it out)... so maybe that's no excuse.
Jessi- the HV idea is a good one, I'll ask mine for more about her profession...
SueDonim... good idea - as you can see I am calling Alibubbles for more info as she is a doula.
Thank you for these ideas.... Keep them coming

Hi Pupuce, while I can't offer you any further ideas, I thought I'd let you know you're not alone here.

I was made redundant a week or so ago, due to our department losing a large chunk of business, so I am currently sorting out freelance writing work and job hunting. Also need to get a PC at home - lots to do! If I post here a little more sporadically for the next few weeks, you'll understand why.

I have to say, it's lovely to join the ranks of the SAHMS for a while, collecting my son from school, seeing more of the toddler. With all that's going on, I don't feel 'redundant' at all.

Anyway I was wondering where to post this announcement. Hope you don't mind me hijacking your message thread, Pupuce.

Don't mind at all Tigermoth... I also enjoy the extra SAHM role that I have now... hence I want to change direction to be more at home and less busy travelling around the world and missing my kids terribly.
Are you going to be a free-lance ? Does your DH work ? See I have a SAHD... so I need to be making a bit of money

Tigermoth, . Very sorry about this news.

Good luck with the job hunting and make that home internet connection top priority!

Pupuce & Tigermoth - Sorry to hear your news, but glad that you're able to keep positive about things. Must be lovely to spend extra time with the kids. Let us know how you get on with job hunting & ?change of career - Good Luck to you both

Pupuce, hello! Sorry, been out all day, at the gym at 8.00am!

Go to the website that I belong to www.doula.org.uk

There are a few people who do the training, Idid it with Michel Odent, it cost me £300 for 4 days. it was very hard going listening to him speak for 6 hours a day in his heavy french accent, but a brilliant course. Or contact Top Notch nannies London, they organised it. HTH

Thanks Alibubbles, I'll have a look at the site you recdommended... are you still a practicing Doula, if so, can I get in touch with you off-mumsnet to find out more ?
Thanks

Pupuce, as already mentioned, think you'd be an excellent midwife - the profession needs more like you! Pre-registration (i.e. not a nurse first) 3 yr courses available throughout the UK now - and they prefer to recruit women just like yourself - with a bit of real experience, who want to be "with woman". Although the course not easy - 'specially with kids, immensely enjoyable. I too dislike the 'hands on' stuff, so i avoid it as much as poss. If with a woman in labour at the hospital, i just shut the delivery room door, dim the lights, and let her get on with it - of course there are Drs 'rounds' etc, but i just go to the door and say we're coping fine thankyou very much - we usually are! Altho' there are policies and protocols to be followed, you can make it whatever you and the woman you are looking after want it to be. At the moment I'm just doing community midwifery, which i find even more rewarding. Lots of bobbing around in the day to see post natal women, booking in new mums, doing clinics etc - and not forgetting all those home deliveries, which are great - you sort've forget about protocol and policy to a degree there, and get on with it! Bliss! Good luck!

Hi - also wanted to add a "you're not alone message"... I got notification of my redundancy on Valentines Day (nice...)and I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant.
Had a stressful few days talking to lawyers /friends about whether I should appeal/ try to make a claim on various grounds (unfair dismissal/ sex discrimination) but have more or less decided I won't because I can 'take the money' (which is more than my maternity pay would have been) and enjoy the 2nd half of my pregnancy, rather than get embroiled in a nasty employment law row!
Anyway, went to the gym today (after several month hiatus!) , checked daytime classes, and have started making lists of friends & contacts to meet up with, 'home' tasks I want to do, and have also got my Co. to agree to 6 months of outplacement career consultancy - 3 months before the baby is due, and 3 months in 2003 when I may want to start applying for jobs.
I feel strangely liberated (hated my job for the last few months anyway!) and colleagues at the office have told me (jokingly) 'stop looking so happy...'!
I'm sure these things have a way of making us focus on new opportunities, so good luck everyone else in the same boat!

Sorry - have just realised I've also hi-jacked this thread a bit like Tigermoth to share this info - I've now realised I misread the titles as "FOR pregnant mothers etc" rather than "WITH" if you see what I mean..!

Pupuce, I have only done post natal doula work - a bit like NCT post natal support, only paid for it! Not done any for a while, but had calls for it from Top Notch Doulas, so once you are on their books, if work comes up they do contact you. It is a relatively new idea, not a lot of people are aware of it. I would love to do the midder course, but too may ties at the moment!

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SueW, do you know anyone who has taken on a franchise from Families magazine. What did they think of it? Not sure if it seems like a huge amount of hard, hard slog with just ok money?

SueW, How do you get in touch with the NCT for such things, I went to their website and couldn't find anything. Do you have more info ?
Leese - I am going to invite my midwife (delivered my 2 babies) for tea... to discuss this...
Alibubbles : Still hoping to get more info on the doula work. What sort of time comitment does it take ? What sort of pay are we talking about ? DH is a SAHD so I need to make a bit of money - I'd work for free if I could ! What do you currently do (if you don't mind me asking) ? I know you've been a childminder and I know you are studying.
RobinW I have considered childminding but my house is probably too small....
Thanks for all your ideas and support.... feel free to keep giving suggestions... I am still debating all these ideas. I'd love to leave the corporate life : been there, done that

Thanks for your words, everyone. Redundancy is an accepted occupational hazard in my business and it is not the first time I have been made redundant.

Motherofone, I'm also getting the help of an outplacement consultancy. I'll let you know how it goes. I want to keep in the same field of work - copywriting - but I have some ideas about a slight change of emphasis, so will be posting to ask questions, soon.

Should we start a mumsnetters made redundant thread?

Tigermoth - sounds like a good idea - a redundancy thread - not least because I'm sure we could share all sorts of tips about what to do before leaving the company/ sorting out tax etc as well as a fair bit of moral support...
Will you start it, or shall I? (Are you going to the London meet-up by the way (too lazy to check right now!)- sounds like we could be on for a good ol natter on this one?)

Pupuce, I am still a registered childminder- I have two babies two days a week, one 12 months the other 14 months and I am a nanny for two boys 2 and 4 for three days a week term time only. It works really well, and I enjoy it very much, I work only 3.5 days a week so have a day and half to myself. I am also doing my BA in Early Childhood studies!

My own two are 14 and 15. My Husband is always saying why don't I give up the childminding, the truth is I really love having a new baby and seeing therm grow up and tuen into a confident, independent happy child, knowing that I have been part of that process.
The term time only contract will come to an end in August, and I'm wondering what to do. The mum will probably be offered a full time post, and has said she'd like me to continue to look after the children, but I don't really want to work five days a week, I do enjoy my free time. Part of me says, it is only 8-4, it is very flexible, I can be at my home or theirs, and it is term time only.

The eldest will be starting school in Sept and the younger will go to nursery, but I said I'm back to that annoying nursery pick up at 11.30 which is so restricting, so mum said he could go all day! She is paying me £80 a day at the moment, which works out to just over £1000 a month, she only brings home £1400 as she works 60% - but I can't see her being able to justify that when she is full time as she'll have very little left. I know that she is glad to be back, and she does get all the benfefits of pension etc andreally long holidays (Independent school where my daughter goes)

The doula work pays about £12-15 per hour, minimum booking of four hours. It does take a while to establish yourself and get known in your area, but there are plenty of avenues for doing so. I have deliberately kept it low profile as I haven't yet wanted it to take over from my other work. Some people also want to book you months in advance, I had a call in November last year for a baby in May, as a maternity nanny/doula, but didn't want to commit so far ahead.

Childminding could offer you the flexibility you are looking for, many childminders I know do not have dedicated rooms for play, many live in very small houses, it is what you offer in terms of care that is important. I know space makes things easier, there are ways round it! I have done all my various training courses over the last 5 years with a view to progressing to something else, I just don't know what yet!

Alibubbles - thanks for all of that - very interesting. How do you schedule Doula work with chilminding ? Do you do it on your days-off or in the evenings ?
I have looked at the Doula website and I am hoping to speak to my midwife soon. I happen to know most of my town's midwife because I had home births and wanted to meet as many as possible before I went into labour (as they would be spending hours in my house!).
I'll keep you posted.

Pupuce, because I only work three days a week and the eldest is at nursery, and I also finish work at 4.pm. I just say when I am available, for some people 4-6 is a bonus, particularly if they have another child. I don't find it tiring because it is doing what I love best, helping with new borns! But I do pick and choose my work, most of it is people from recomendation, who need an extra pair of hands and a mature mum is next best to your own mum, or in ssome cases better!!

A doula will do anything, give a child tea, bath it and prepare it for bed, as this is the most crucial time for a breast feeding mum, as you will probably know from your own experience, so they could put their feet up for an hour or so, with a drink to help with milk supply. (I always this part of the day the hardest with my two a year apart) You can walk the floor with a colicky baby whilst mum does the tea, has a bath herself etc. If a mum is paying you, they can ask you to do hat they feel is going to help them best.