23 July – 14 August 2011
Susie came to work with us when my daughter, Daisy, was 6 weeks old and we were having great difficulty with feeding. From the start, Susie was warm and friendly, put us all instantly at ease, and brought a sense of calm and reassurance to our stressed household. Initially, Susie took over almost all of Daisy’s care to get to know her and within a few days we had a different baby. She quickly determined that Daisy’s distress during feeding was primarily psychological rather than physical, and was able to reassure Daisy and work out ways of helping to calm her down and manage the feeds in a way that more suited her needs. She also adjusted Daisy’s routine slightly but with great effect and her structured yet relaxed approach meant we had a routine that suited both Daisy and us and has helped us to become more confident about adapting this to fit round family life as required.
Susie is extremely experienced and instantly inspires confidence, without ever being over-bearing. She is a hugely warm and fun person, with a fantastic and positive outlook on life, so that it felt like having not just an expert on hand but a friend as well. She was also wonderful with our little boy, Henry, and at helping us to get used to looking after him and Daisy together and very quickly felt like part of our family, yet was very sensitive to giving us our own space as well.
I had post-natal depression and Susie was very understanding of how this affected me. Her constant support and encouragement helped me to develop more confidence in my own judgement and instincts with Daisy, and generally. With Susie’s guidance and support, I was able to gradually take on more and more of Daisy’s care and really get to know her. I have learnt such a lot from her in terms of looking after Daisy, but without ever feeling I was being lectured or instructed, or undermined in any way. Thanks to Susie, in just three weeks Daisy became a happy and contented baby and I would not hesitate to recommend Susie, whether to help with a specific problem or provide general support and care.