Demand for Maternity Nurses is soaring. The UK's biggest childcare agency, Tinies, saw a threefold increase in the number of nurses it placed with families last year.

Amanda Coxon, director of Tinies, tells you what you can expect from a maternity nurse

IT'S all very well for the likes of Supernanny Jo Frost to tell us how to train our tearaway two-year-olds but for many parents, the real problems begin in the first few days after their child is born.

New mums find themselves with a baby who cries for no apparent reason and who comes without an instruction manual - and if it's your first baby, those early weeks can be pretty scary.

That's why a growing number of mums are turning to maternity nurses.

These specialised childcarers, who are on hand 24 hours a day for five or six days a week, are proving increasingly popular for mums who want to actually enjoy the first few weeks with their baby.

For many new parents who don't have family close to hand to help with the newborn, they can be ideal. Even those mothers who have their own mums round the corner may find it is easier to have an experienced stranger coming in during those first few weeks because with a relative it is hard to say that you don't agree with their advice. Our maternity nurses are highly- experienced childcarers with specialist knowledge of dealing with newborn babies.

So what can you expect? Well, a maternity nurse will get up in the night when the baby wakes up for feeds and, depending on your preference, will feed the baby herself with a bottle or bring him to you for feeds. She will wind and bath the baby, establish a sleep and feeding routine and deal with the baby's laundry. All of this means you can maximise your chances of getting a decent amount of sleep and understand from an expert how best to look after your new bundle of joy. She can provide a listening ear on all aspects of a baby's care - which can prove priceless if you are the first woman in your group of friends to give birth and need some good advice and moral support.

What she won't do is clean the house or clear up after your other children - she is there to look after the newborn and will sleep in your baby's room if you would prefer.

Most maternity nurses work for between two and eight weeks with each family and cost between £125 and £200 a day.

Our mums give a number of reasons for wanting a maternity nurse to help out in the first few weeks. Many say NHS cutbacks leave them forced to leave hospital sooner than they would like to - and that they are receiving less support when they are settled back at home. They are simply not confident about what they should and should not be doing with their baby.

Many mums also say they're not getting the support they need from their babies' fathers, who often have to return to work just a few days or weeks after the birth.

Maternity nurses are also popular with mums who have twins or triplets to look after.

There can be one problem though - you might find such a good maternity nurse that they are still there when your firstborn celebrates their 18th birthday.

For more information on Maternity Nurses visit - www.tinieschildcare.com