Gwen is only 3 months and already had 3 yayas. This is the problem of working moms/working parents, I guess, we are dependent on yayas to look after our children when we leave to work. Although I still have my nanay to look after Gwen, I still need a yaya because nanay can’t take care of Gwen throughout the day at her age of 64.

These days, finding a perfect nanny or a “yaya that stays” for a long time is like finding a needle in a haystack. And some nannies are pretty demanding to boot. Let me share about our yaya experiences so far:

Yaya #1: Yaya #1 was referred by my brother’s yaya and hails from Bicol. She has 2 children (2 and 1 year-old) when she left. When she came to us, we’re surprised that she’s still lactating, Jeff and I even joked that Gwen can still drink breastmilk even when I’m away, but of course I didn’t entertain that even if it’s really possible. Yaya #1 is a little shy and seldom talks, she sleeps most of the time because Gwen sleeps during the day on her first 2 months. But I’m happy with the way she takes care of Gwen, she carries her a lot and lulls her to sleep. She can make Gwen stop crying, maybe because of her slow soothing voice. Sometimes, I feel jealous because she can pacify Gwen more than I do. I’m also confident on how she takes care of Gwen since she has two children and also worked as a nanny before.

Why Yaya #1 left: After 1 and 1/2 months, she had to bid goodbye because her 1 year-old daughter is sick. Maybe because she didn’t wean her daughter slowly before she left.

Yaya #2: Since my 2-month maternity leave is over, I have to get a yaya fast! We can’t find one yet so my mother talked to one of our neighbors and asked if she can babysit Gwen during the day. She agreed, hence she’s Yaya #2. Yaya #2 is also nice and religious. She worked as a teacher aid before so she definitely likes children, she also looks out for my 4 year-old nephew in the house. She’s thin though, that’s why she can’t stand carrying Gwen for a long time. One thing I dislike with her is that she brings her 8-year-old daughter with her, making her distracted most of the time and additional cost for our household because her daughter eats with us too. Because she’s a stay-out yaya, she only works from 8 am to 6 pm but gets the salary of a full-time yaya/housemaid. We always rush home from work because we have to take care of Gwen once yaya is out.

Why Yaya #2 is out: Yaya #2 only worked for us for 3 weeks, because we find it impractical for a stay-out yaya and we found Yaya #3 already!

Yaya #3: Yaya #3 is from Kidapawan. She has 2 sons but they’re already big, Grades 4 and 1. She also took care of a newborn 6 years ago until the baby is 2 years old. The first time she’s about to bathe Gwen, she admitted to my mother that she already forgot how to bathe a baby, I appreciate her honesty though, and nanay is there to assist her so that’s okay. She’s also an all-around helper, I think her forte is doing the laundry because she does this all the time, hehe. Problem is, she sometimes forgets that her main priority is the baby and not the household chores. She’s also on the phone a lot, and according to my mother, she caught her leaving Gwen just to check her cellphone inside her room, sheesh! She has a strong personality too, not motherly and caressing, but this is just my impression on her.

I just wish that Yaya #3 will stay for a while and that my first impressions on her not being motherly and gentle are wrong. I hope she’ll be the yaya that stays…