What is a salus nurse and what is it for?
After delivery and upon arrival home, fears and doubts arise about the care of the newborn, if you want expert help, we explain what a salus nurse consists of.
Being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, yet adjusting to this new role or a new family member is not always easy. Adapting to the new schedules that the newborn marks while you recover from childbirth or cesarean section takes time ; Furthermore, with the arrival home, doubts arise from time to time, especially the first few days, regardless of whether the parents have previous experience. That is why some parents consider hiring the services of a salus nurse.
The salus are health professionals, specifically nurses, with specific training and experience in newborn care . Among other functions, they are responsible for caring for the baby at home, mainly after delivery, a stage in which greater doubts and fears arise, mainly in first-time parents, in premature babies, after a cesarean section or in multiple pregnancies.
Their work does not replace the doctor at any time, but rather provides a complement, in such a way that it facilitates the adaptation of parents to their new life , giving them the security of having expert and professional help. The salus nurse offers help and advice to those parents who due to lack of time, personal or health problems, work situation or simply do not have the help of close relatives, cannot dedicate all the time or care to the baby that he needs .
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WHAT IS A SALUS NURSE
The salus are registered nurses with specific training and experience in childcare and maternal and child care. They are health professionals who can help and advise parents thanks to their professionalism and knowledge . These cover topics as varied as breastfeeding or artificial feeding, umbilical cord care, grooming, elimination of gases, counseling to calm the baby, help with sleep and crying or postpartum care of the mother.
THEY WILL HELP PARENTS DURING THE FIRST STAGE OF MOTHERHOOD
Parents can hire their services in different shifts, according to the needs of the couple: morning, afternoon, night or all day (at home) . However, the most demanded service is at night, with the idea that parents can sleep without worrying about hearing the baby cry, in this way they are rested to continue with the care of the newborn or their obligations the next day. Salus can carry out their work for as long as the parents deem necessary, although the usual is usually contracts of one month, in the case of single-baby births, and two or three months, in the case of multiple births.
FUNCTIONS OF A SALUS NURSE
The figure of the Salus nurse emerged in Spain more than 30 years ago, although her work has been recognized for a longer time in countries throughout Europe, especially France and England. Its objective is to offer a professional and trustworthy home help to parents , in view of the need for rest and maternal care after childbirth.
Its main function is to help the mothers recover just after giving birth by taking care of the baby, although they can also take care of children up to 6 years of age .As a general rule, they begin their work with the arrival of the newborn home. They help and teach parents to carry out everyday activities such as learning to feed the baby, (positioning when giving the bottle, how to breastfeed correctly, breast care, comfortable positions for breastfeeding …), how to feed them by the night, (sometimes it is the salus that feeds the baby, so that the mother can rest, especially in cases of cesarean delivery), get him to have correct sleep habits, bathe the newborn, heal the umbilical cord, sterilize bottles and pacifiers, identify crying, help them sleep at night or calm them when crying.
NURSE SALUS HAS UNIVERSITY KNOWLEDGE
HOW CAN YOU HELP PARENTS?
As we have already reflected previously, their work and experience are essential to provide well-being to the parents, since at the same time they offer them extra help in caring for the baby, they advise and guide them in everything related to postpartum care and recovery .
Thanks to their support, fatigue and the typical discomforts of this stage are reduced , they facilitate the adaptation of parents to their new role, reduce the appearance of feelings of overwhelm and sadness, unify criteria of care and upbringing between both parents, and instruct in healthy habits hygiene, sleep and nutrition, dispels doubts, thus reducing the anxiety of first-time parents and helps them have a wide range of strategies to face such everyday tasks as identifying crying, helping them sleep, correct hygiene or expelling gases.
A SALUS NURSE IS NOT A BABYSITTER
Although, due to her profile in childcare, it could be confused with babysitting work, this is not the case. A salus nurse is a health professional whose knowledge is based on university and graduate academic training . In addition to having knowledge that is continuously adapted to the reports of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics and gynecologists and doctors.
A nanny, on the other hand, is only a service personnel assigned to the care of children who, although they may have experience, do not have a university degree or the ability to act in health issues related to child care. A salus can offer help beyond bottle feeding or cradling crying. Likewise, it is not necessary to differentiate the role of a salus from a doula. The latter does not have a degree and its function is usually only to transmit its own experience to the mother.
HOW TO CONTRACT THEIR SERVICES?
The salus provide professional assistance of a private nature . In general, they are nurses and freelancers, although there are also companies that provide these specialized services. On the Internet you can also find company or agency websites.
THE BABYSITTER DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF THE BABY’S HEALTH ISSUES
When hiring a salus you have to make sure that it is a health professional. For this, in the case of nurses, the number of registered members can be requested . It is a guarantee that you are hiring a specialist and not a caregiver without a health title. Having references from previous work and degrees is always advisable.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.