What does a maternity nurse do exactly?

Your maternity nurse assists and supports you during the first 10 days. You can ask her all the questions you might have. She is not only there to take care of the baby, but also and especially for you.

• She carries out daily check-ups on you and your baby:
• She is well informed about your recovery and keeps a close eye on everything;
• She provides you with tips and advice about caring for your baby enabling you to do it all by yourself when she leaves;
• She supports you in breastfeeding;
• She assists in (small) household chores;
• She involves partner and any other children in caring for your baby;
• She receives visitors and makes sure you get enough rest around these visits.

Acquiring skills in your maternity week

You maternity nurse will teach you everything about caring for your baby during the maternity week, possibly with the use of Babybalance. She teaches you for example:

Feeding

Do you want to breastfeed or bottle feed? You will probably have thought about this question during your pregnancy.

Do you want to breastfeed? The maternity nurse will guide and support you. This can be a very intensive process in your maternity week, because sometimes it takes a while to discover comfortable positions and ways to breastfeed. Sometimes your baby even needs some time to get the hang of it. Read more on breastfeeding on this website.

Do you prefer bottle feeding? She teaches you how to prepare formula, how to bottle feed and how to clean the elements properly.

Temperature measurements

Body temperature tells a lot and therefore it is very important to check your and your baby’s temperature daily. Your maternity nurse will teach you how to check your baby’s temperature in a comfortable way. She teaches you about temperature levels and what it means if they deviate and what you should do.

Your body temperature is also checked daily. You are more susceptible to infection after birth, so it is very important to keep a close watch.

Caring for your baby

Last but not least, your maternity nurse will guide and support you in caring for your baby. Her vast experience will provide you with a lot of tips and you can learn a lot from her example. Other children are also involved and they can earn a colourful children’s maternity diploma for it.