Written by Fanny Di Domenicantonio, Director of Fox & Cubs, Nanny & Private Staff Agency, in collaboration with Amae Family.
The maternity nurse has left. The visitors have quietened. And suddenly it is just you, figuring out what comes next.This moment usually somewhere around weeks four to twelve after birth is one we recognise well at Fox & Cubs. It is the point where the intensive early support lifts, but the need for trusted, professional help has not gone anywhere. It has simply changed shape.
The fourth trimester and what comes after
A recent piece from Amae, the curated postnatal gifting platform, captures this journey beautifully. It follows families from those raw first days with a newborn through to the longer-term question every parent eventually faces: who do I want in my corner as my child grows?
The fourth trimester is a period of enormous adjustment physically, emotionally and practically. Many families are so focused on getting through the early weeks that longer-term childcare planning falls to the bottom of the list. Yet this is precisely the period when thinking ahead makes the greatest difference.
Why planning ahead changes everything
The families who navigate this transition most smoothly are the ones who started the conversation early. Not because they had everything figured out, but because they began asking the right questions about what childcare looks like when they return to work, about whether a live-in-nanny or a live-out-nanny would best suit their household, and about the kind of professional who will truly fit their home and their values.
Those conversations do not need to wait until the pressure is immediate. In fact, starting them earlier almost always leads to a calmer, more considered outcome for the parents and for the child.
How Fox & Cubs can help
That is exactly the conversation Fox & Cubs is here to have. Whether you are weeks away from your due date, currently working with a maternity nurse, or preparing for the transition as that support comes to an end, our team can help you think through what your family needs next and introduce you to the right professional to make it happen.
We work with families at every stage of this journey, from the earliest planning conversations through to long-term placement and beyond. Our goal is always the same: to ensure that when the intensive early support lifts, something equally thoughtful and carefully matched is ready to take its place.
If you would like to talk through your options, get in touch with our team we are here to help.
Fox & Cubs insight
“The fourth trimester is a time of enormous adjustment. The families we work with who plan ahead who think about their longer-term childcare needs before the immediate pressure sets in tend to feel far more settled when the time comes. It is never too early to start that conversation.” Glenny, Client Consultant, Fox & Cubs Nanny & Private Staff Agency.
Read the full article
This article was written in collaboration with Amae. To read the original piece in full, visit:
Amae — The Fourth Trimester: Why the Right Support Evolves With You
