About Me

 

Hello there, I'm Ali, Mother of two, wife of one, master of exceedingly well
behaved chocolate labradors, a daughter and a sister to my older sibling.
I grew up in rural Oxfordshire where my family still reside. I went to schools
in the area but struggled with academia, making schoolwork incredibly
challenging for me. My practical skills were far better but it was hard for me not knowing why I struggled. The lightbulb moment came whilst studying for my nursing degree when a tutor suspected I was dyslexic, it all made sense
now!!

I went to Norland College, back then, set at Denford Park in Hungerford, in 1994 and spent the most enjoyable 2yrs of my academic life ever. Norland was my saviour, from feeling little self-worth from school days to achieving good grades & thriving with my work at Norland seemed like a different world all together. Norland had a children's hotel based within the grounds, every fortnight the nannies were rotated to be able to have hands on 24/7 care of the children within the hotel, as well as daycare facilities. My niche was multiples!! Twins seemed to appear on my rota, time and time again and one of my outside placements was with a family with newborn triplets!! For those that know me, I thrive on chaos & busyness!!!!

After qualifying, I worked for a number of families with various age ranges
and needs. I took off to the USA and lived with a wonderful British family for
4yrs before coming home to "settle down" and obtain my nursing degree.
I thoroughly enjoyed the high and lows of working with sick children, I learnt
so much more about conditions, etiology of diseases, what affects the body
and so much more. The range was vast, from newborn, babies, toddlers, all the
way through to young adolescent years.

I felt immensely lucky to have been offered a job within the community
working alongside a fantastic busy Health Visiting team, this evolved into
three to four teams at one point and I loved it.

I ran clinics for parents about children's nutrition, weaning, breastfeeding,
bottle-feeding and I ran a young teenage Mums group. I supported families
with children's behaviour and how to manage it, I supported families who had
suffered SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) & CONI (Care of Next Infant)
after a still-birth or a pregnancy resulting in a bereavement. I helped Mums
with prenatal and postnatal care, discussed one to one breastfeeding
difficulties, given advice about toileting of all ages and discussed sexual health
with clients too.

​

I learnt so much from the teams I worked with but also from the clients
themselves. Learning first-hand the varying degrees of post-natal depression,
how important maternal mental health & support is....and sadly, what can happen if these measures are not in place.

 

My experiences along the way have moulded how I support my clients today, understanding the support I offer to each of you, as a family, is tailored to you as a unit and not the next family. Every single family I have contact with have unique dynamics, all with a similar goal of easing the pressure of their parenting predicaments.

I look forward to working with you....