did you hire a baby nurse? lots of questions!

amother

Thu, Oct 04 2012, 8:57 pm

expecting twins and due in about 8 weeks. Im looking to hire a day/night nurse and have some questions...
if I get a 24 hour nurse, how do you work out her sleep time?
I am living in a 1 bedroom apartment right now, where would I have her sleep?
what exactly do they help out with?
how do you work it out at night- for her to to come in to the bedroom while my husband might be sleeping( tznius?)
how much should I expect to pay?
how long will I need it for?

amother

Thu, Oct 04 2012, 9:12 pm

The way it works with a 24 hour nurse is that they sleep when the baby sleeps. I had a nurse for my children and when the baby napped the nurse usually did as well. In terms of a 1 bedroom apartment you don't really have room for a nurse unless you move into parents or relatives. Most nurses will not be ok with sleeping in the living room ect... You can opt for a day nurse but with twins you might need more help. In terms of her waking you at night what I did was left my bedroom door closed and she would call my name and knock lightly and that was enough to get me out of bed. I have paid anywhere from 450-650 a week but that was for a single baby. I know most nurses charge more for twins. There is a very resonable baby nurse agency in lakewood you can call them and see what they charge. In terms of how long to keep her its very personal. If it's your first babies and you have some family support maybe 2-3 weeks is enough. If not maybe 6-8 is more feasible. Good luck and enjoy the babies :-)

ntm1

Thu, Oct 04 2012, 11:54 pm

amother wrote:

When I had my twins 2 years ago, I stayed by my parents house and the nurse slept with the babies in their own room. She took care of them all day and night and whenever I wanted to take someone out of the room I did. She slept when the babies slept.. They were my first kids and we had a nurse full time for abt 6 weeks and then another nurse on and off for nights whenever we needed her for about another month.
why would you have your babies sleeping in your room when you have a nurse with you.. isnt that the point of the nurse.. that she will take care of them at night?
I dont remember how much we paid but we used the agency from lakewood for the full time nurse...theyre the most reasonable if I remember correctly.....although they werent the greatest.

Meglmom

Fri, Oct 05 2012, 1:32 am

First I wanna wish everything should be beshua tova!
I would suggest if you choose to take a nurse which is a great idea you should go to someones apartment ( mother or mother in law) for the time cuz otherwise its not worth it. If the apt is too small then you'll get nervous from her, u won't be able to rest cuz Ull constantly hear babies crying etc.
24 hour nurses are cheaper than night nurses. I paid for twins 100 for 24 hours and 150 for night only. I had nurse for three months but depending if you have a big/small family.
Hope all goes well!lots of luck!

asp40

Fri, Oct 05 2012, 7:19 am

I do not think a nurse is necessary but if you feel like you need this, then go for it. If you have a nurse at night, you dont need one during the day. You might want some time and privacy just with your babies. I did not have a nurse or help (aside from DH) for my twins (who were my #2 and #3, and I regretted not having night help, but at the time, it never crossed my mind. I agree with the others, a 1 bedroom is too small to have a nurse, she also needs some privacy and you will want to use your living room.

B'Sha'ah Tovah.

amother

Wed, Oct 10 2012, 6:50 pm

Hi! I'm a new mom to twins... Bsha Tova to you!!

I had a nurse for the night I came home from the hospital... she didnt work out. 2nd night at home we tried on our own and it was HARD.. being a new mother... and getting 2 at once is difficult... don't let anyone tell you otherwise!! So I got a GREAT nurse from the LKWD agency... a GREAT one b'h!! From what I hear, they have many nurses and not all are that great. We had her for 24 hrs so we had to give her her own room with a normal bed as well as serve her breakfast, lunch & supper. The price for that was 625 (includes the agency fee). After about a week we had her for the nights only. For nights only they dont require a regular bed; a sofa or recliner is sufficient. Price for that is $100 per night. We had her till the kids were 7 weeks. We would have loved to have her more but couldn't afford it anymore.

Take one if you can afford one... but know that this is your life, Burach Hashem... and at one point you'll have to tend to them on your own...

Let me know if you want to know more. I'll be glad to help! Twins are The Best!!

amother

Wed, Oct 10 2012, 7:58 pm

I had a baby nurse when my twins were born and I was in a one bedroom apartment. I divided part of my dining room using my china closet and got a VERY comfortable folding bed for her. The section where she slept had the windows. I had a toddler on top of my twins so 24 hour help was my only option. I think it would be very difficult to care for your twins and recuperate from a difficult pregnancy without any help.

amother

Wed, Oct 10 2012, 8:07 pm

Just wanted to chime in and warn you of the "reasonable " nursing agencies. Without going into much detail and saying Loshon hara I hired a nurse from the agency. It was at a time of an emergency in my family and I needed someone reliable to watch my 6 month old . The "nurse" after becoming somewhat friendly with me told me that she had no newborn experience and watched a two hour video on how to change a diaper, burp a baby and not shake baby if they cry. This was the full training given to her and all the others the agency was sending into Frum homes. I warn you because they are going to be your precious neshomos and it is terrible to leave them with someone who you believe is trained and knowledgable. Also references were the family members of the agency and lied claiming they used her when they didn't .