Judy Goldberg always wanted to be an English teacher, and throughout her studies this was her main ambition. At the age of 22, she left her native France to come to England to learn English and qualified as a teacher in 2010. After working for 3 years, she started to feel that the reality of teaching was not as she had hoped. As she explains, “I realised that it was not teaching that I wanted to do, but it was the help, advice and support part that went with it that was really what I was good at and enjoyed.”
When she fell pregnant with her first child, Judy and her husband, Eli, were living in Newcastle, without any family, and very few friends in the area. The prospect of preparing for a baby was something she found quite overwhelming. “Everyone seemed to have different advice, and recommended different things, I just didn’t know where to start with everything. What works for someone else was not necessarily what would work for me, so I needed to look into every option.” Much of her pregnancy was spent researching everything from prams to nappies. When other friends also having babies started asking her advice on various products and issues, she began to realise that there was a gap in the market for this kind of advice service. This was the inspiration behind starting her own business, Babynizer.
Babynizer is a baby planning service which offers expectant parents a variety of maternity concierge services. Whether they need help organising their nursery, baby proofing their home, or understanding what essential items they should buy, Judy is able to help. Through an initial in-depth consultation held at the client’s home, she fully assesses the house, the lifestyle of the couple, and other factors that may be significant, to gain a better understanding of their needs. She will then create a step by step bespoke plan for them. “I try to offer my expert opinion, and make suggestions, but never impose my advice onto clients, or try to control the situation. If the client is happy with what I propose, we will talk in more detail about the plan, to work out the best approach and how to put it in place.”
For many the idea of a maternity concierge might sound like something extravagant or expensive, reserved for celebrities and the very rich, but Judy is keen to change this misconception to show it is accessible to those on more modest incomes. An initial consultation for 2 hours starts from around £120, and additional services and packages can be added based on individual needs. Judy explains, “The overall aim of Babynizer is to help parents-to-be in whatever way we can, and try and make things easier for them. Taking the stress out of their lives at this important time will make for a more enjoyable pregnancy, and they will feel more confident as they move into parenthood.”
Based in North London, she is happy to do home visits whenever is most convenient, either daytime or evening. For clients not based in London, she can conduct a consultation and assessment via Skype. Since setting up her business three years ago, Judy has developed a network of experts she works closely with to offer clients the best advice and support possible across a range of areas from finding a night nurse, to a baby massage course. Much of her work is through recommendation and word-of-mouth, and she is on relevant online forums and social media groups.
Judy is always happy to receive feedback from people she has helped. One recent client, Yael, found the service very useful during her first pregnancy. Yael and her husband were both working full time, so having someone to take the pressure off and give advice was really useful to them. After an initial consultation, Yael felt that she still required further advice, so booked another session with Judy. “I needed more help with buggies and car seats, so Judy took me and my husband to a baby shop which was just the best experience. She showed me various products we had discussed, demonstrating them, showing me how they fold, how to install them, the pros and cons of each of them, and we could also test everything. Because she had met us beforehand, and knew more about us, the trip to the shop was very effective, and we now realise how much we actually saved having Judy’s help. We would have probably bought too many or even the wrong things if she was not there to guide us.”
Yael also used the phone and email support service where Judy aims to respond to queries within 24 hours. This is offered alongside the main package for the first month, with the option of extending this for an additional cost. Yael explains, “I found it a great resource. Judy was there every step of the way to offer advice or a helping hand. She turned the whole process into a fun experience. I know I couldn’t have done it on my own and sure I will ask for her help again in my next pregnancy.”
Another area where Judy tries to help expectant mothers is with preparation for hospital. Many women can often feel overwhelmed by the long list of items they are given for their hospital bag, but Judy has created a range of pre-packed luxury hospital bags in various styles and colours, which have the key items needed for mother and baby in the first 48 hours. “There are all the usual things like nappies and baby sleepsuits, but also some treats so the mother can pamper herself a little. People find them really useful, and the bags double as changing bags for when the baby is born.” She remembers how this service came in very handy for one expectant father whose wife went into labour at only 35 weeks. “He contacted me as his wife was being rushed to hospital, as they had not had time to prepare a hospital bag or anything. I offered to take a bag directly to the hospital for them that same evening, and they were really grateful. I was just happy to help.”
Judy hopes to be able to develop her business, to use her expertise and knowledge to help even more parents-to-be, and in time would like to have other concierges working with her. Helping people gives Judy a great sense of satisfaction, and is what she feels makes her job so worthwhile. “It is a really nice feeling knowing that you are able to make someone’s life a little easier, and I enjoy being able to help in some small way towards this. I would love to be able to help even more people in the future through my business.”
For more information about the services that Babynizer can offer, please check out the website – www.babynizer.co.uk or the Babynizer Facebook page. Judy is offering a 15% discount for any bookings made before the end of February 2018 if you remember to quote The Jewish Weekly.
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