| My name is Sr Wendy Pratt, the founder of Baby Assist. I am a Registered Nurse and Midwife and have further qualifications in Intensive Care of the Newborn,
Certified Baby Gym Instructor, and am registered to write the International Board of Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) exam in July 2009. I also have an IMM Diploma in Marketing and have various other qualification to my name.
I am married to Grant and have 2 children, Keegan born in July 2001 and Tyla born in November 2005. I married in my late thirties and following the birth of Keegan at the age of 37
I experienced first hand how a little person coming into the world can throw a self confessed control freak completely off balance!! I thought I was going to wax this parenting thing!!
Little did I know that it does not matter what qualification you have - it all boils down to learning as you go along. I have made my mistakes, cried many tears, wondered what possesed me to have ever contemplated having a baby, and then come out
into the sunshine again - just in time to have another baby and start the process all over again!!
I have learnt so much during my journey through parenting - yes I had the theoretical knowledge gained during my many years of nursing. I had the priveldge of helping scores of perfect little human beings grab hold of the miracle of life, I had cared for those more fragile little ones as they have clung despirately to life.
I have been there when some have lost the fight and have held grieving parents in my arms as they have wept at the passing of their precious little babies.
All along though I was on the outside looking in - and then suddenly it was my turn. This was MY baby, I had to take him home, care for him, change him, get up in the night to feed him.
"HELP" I often cried, "I have no idea what I am doing!!" And then one day it dawned on me - if I was finding this so hard then how do those parents who have no training feel? They must be completely terrified!! Then I knew, I could not keep everything I had learnt to myself. I had to share my knowledge,
my practical experience, my mistakes, the solutions I had found and most of all my understanding of what it is like. So in May 2002 Baby Assist was born! I started with Antenatal Classes and in October 2006 I opened the Postnatal Clinic in Fourways.
I do not profess to have all the answers - there are two things however that I have learnt. One is that no two babies are alike and just as soon as I think I "know-it-all" I fall flat on my face!! I do however know that God has equiped me with the knowledge, practical experience and the desire to be able to be a support to those who are embarking on this journey themselves.
The second thing I have learnt is that I am not able to do this all on my own so since November 2008 Sr Marion Potterton has been part of Baby Assist. This happened at a time when I had stretched myself to the limit and was beginning to drop balls. I could not keep them all in the air as the practice had grown beyond my wildest dreams!
I needed someone to help me - but it could not be just anyone. I wanted someone with the same passion and dedication I had. Someone who I could entrust the parents and their babies to. Someone who was well qualified and had the experience required for the job. Someone who would be gentle with the little ones, kind to the moms who are feeling fragile and who could manage to put the new Dad's fears at ease.
Then Marion came to mind. We had known each other for a while but had never worked together. From the very start though it was obvious that I had found the right partner. She just came in and took charge of the immunisation clinic without even batting an eyelid! Marion is a registered Nurse and Midwife, has a Certificate in Intensvie Care of the Newborn, has over 11 years experience in Neonatal ICU and for the past 5 years she has run an
immunisation and well baby clinic in a pharmacy. She is married to Shaun and has 2 children, Luke born in 2002 and Christopher born in 2007.
Baby Assist is now entering a new phase - we have been invited to join the team at Triba - A Wellness Centre for Parents and Babies. From May 2009 we will be taking over the Paediatric wing and will be offering the following:
Together Marion and I will be there to support you through your journey into parenthood, we will share our knowledge with you, care for your precious little babies and help you pick up the pieces when all seems to be falling apart. We do however apologise for not being perfect - if we have disappointed you in any way please feel free to discuss this with us.
If we can be of any assistance to you please contact us
Sr Wendy Pratt
072-462-7830
or
Sr Marion Potterton
0829204915
or at
Triba
011-501-4740
Click here to find out more about Triba
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