Best type of postpartum support to hire for 3rd baby
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About to have our third baby and with two toddlers at home I know I’m going to need some extra hands! What is everyone’s favorite type of support? Babysitter, doula, night nurse etc I need help!
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House cleaner including folding AND putting away laundry. Would be awesome if they would pack lunches too.
Basically a second set of hands for you.
Night nurse/doula once a week so you have something to look forward to and will get good rest at least once a week to keep you going.
My husband and I divided and conquered for #3. 3 you realize a baby isn’t hard compared to the other 2 so it’s really about what YOU need.
Babysitter a couple mornings a week-even for you to take a walk around the block or go to the grocery store alone.You got this!! Clearly bc you are already setting yourself up for success
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How exciting! Would definitely recommend getting a night nurse- being rested helps all of the people and you! We ended up hiring a part time nanny who would come help 2-3 mornings a week for an extra set of hands! Even having those hours to be able to take baby on a walk or nap or prep a meal was so nice! Sounds like you’re on the right track!!
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I did not have experience with a night nurse but I have others who loved them- I feel like it can be so baby dependent. I also know others who went the au pair route and had great experiences.
As far as other extra hand options, having a nanny who is willing to do laundry, light cleaning and meal prep was a win for our family! You have the right approach- help makes everything work so much more efficiently with three young kiddos!
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I wanted a night nurse and postpartum doula but ended up hiring a college girl for 10 hrs a week to help me! She takes my two older toddlers out of the house for activities or watches them play in our neighborhood while I stay home with baby and do little things around the house. She is my extra set of hands! She also picks up all of my HEB curbsides, manages my late night breastfeeding Amazon returns, and folds laundry for me. I save a bunch of my errands for when she comes because it’s tough loading up a 3 yo, 2 yo, and newborn in the car and running around town.
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Do you have the toddlers in any kind of school or out of the house arrangement? For me, in the early days, I valued quiet over everything! And just really relishing in every opportunity to soak up that baby, knowing by now how fast these precious moments go. My older 2 were in daycare or elementary when my baby was born, so I had a good quiet break during the day. Eventually we hired a full time house manager (both of us were working full time after my maternity leave) who helped with getting the kids ready for school, meal prepping, laundry, errands, coordinating contractors, grocery shopping, returns etc. She is now a part of our family (she no longer works for us) and is one of the luckiest blessings I’ve come upon as a parent. The more people who love your kids, the better! Good luck mama, you got this!
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Night nurse!!! 1000% worth the money! I hired someone for 2-3 days a week and it was insane how much more I enjoyed this newborn experience just being able to recharge and feel more like myself!
Best of luck!!
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Congrats!!! We didn’t use a night nurse but had a nanny/babysitter come during the weekdays which was SO helpful. The big kids were taken care of so I could really rest and be with the baby during the day. In the afternoons I found myself able to spend some time with the big kids while she took care of the baby. It was really nice to have extra hands and I found it easier to be with the baby during that time! I really savored it because it might be our last baby. Good luck!!!!
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Here to echo what everyone else has suggested and add: prioritize getting help with what feels hardest for you and what fits into your budget. Sometimes baby is a great sleeper, so a night nurse isn't the greatest pain point. Finding a "Mother's Helper" who is willing to be part of the family and get involved with any type of task you need help with (not JUST childcare) is such a gift. If you end up going this route, don't be afraid to be VERY specific in your job description when you are posting online or sharing with your community about the type of person you need. Ex. Some mother's helpers may not want to help with laundry, but if that's one of your pain points, make sure you include that in your job description so the applicants you get know up front everything you are looking for. Finally, as someone who was in a mother's helper role throughout grad school, it was very helpful to know what my duties were and what they were not. Ex: I did dishes, but I did not scrub toilets - they had a house cleaner for that.
Hope this helps and happy to be a resource if you need help with how to find the right person for your family!
