If you're unfamiliar with the term "Newborn Care Specialist," you're not alone! This is a fairly new term that's arrived on the perinatal care scene in response to an increasing need for support for families bringing newborns into their homes. You might have heard it called a night nanny, night nurse, or baby nurse (which are generally considered outdated terms), but whatever it’s called specialized newborn care can be a postpartum game-changer.
What is an NCS?
Some similar professions you might be more familiar with include: postpartum doulas, nannies, and sleep coaches. Of course, each of these titles comes with its own unique responsibilities and required training, and many of us in the perinatal care field (myself included!) hold multiple of these titles at once.
In essence, a Newborn Care Specialist is intended to provide a range of services that help offer the best possible start for your little one(s). This includes things like preparing a safe and functional nursery/sleep space, establishing healthy sleep routines, feeding support (of any kind), education around baby's needs and cues, basic chores like washing bottles and pump parts, restocking the nursery, etc., and the main thing most people are looking for: caring for baby while parents sleep, eat, or (gasp!) relax.
What Does an NCS do at night?
But what does it look like to have someone come into your home and take care of your baby? In practice, a night with a client often looks something like this:
I arrive at 9 or 10pm. Baby is generally asleep in their crib or bassinet at this point, and parents will either already be asleep and have a monitor in their room or they’ll be up and give me a rundown of the day and any pertinent info for the night. I then wash any bottles or pump parts or prep any needed bottles for the night, and head into my sleep space with the baby which is often either a guest room with the bassinet or a bed or mattress in the nursery and get some rest.
When baby wakes during the night, I asses their cues and determine whether it’s time for a feeding or if baby just needs some help connecting sleep cycles. If it’s time for a feed, I unswaddle baby, change their diaper, and bring them in to mom to nurse, letting her know what I observed so she can learn baby's cues as well. While baby eats, I refill the changing table with more diapers, and fold up some unused swaddles and put them back in their home in a drawer. Mom text to let me know that feeding is complete, so I take baby, return them to the bassinet (with soothing if needed), log information on sleep, feeding, and diaper changes, and return to resting myself until I'm needed again. On the next feed, Mom may choose to have me feed a bottle of pumped milk and bring her pump parts to use in bed. When I’m finished attending to the baby and she’s finished pumping, I grab her pump parts from her room, refrigerate the milk and wash everything, and again rest until I’m needed. In the morning I do a final check that baby is content and everything is stocked and clean, check in with a parent quietly in their room or send a summary text of the night and head out!
How can an NCS Improve my postpartum experience?
Having a Newborn Care Specialist as part of your postpartum support team can help you in so many ways! The main thing we hear from our clients is that giving them time to rest allows them to show up as their best selves for their baby the next day. We also provide the peace of mind that comes with having someone consistently show up to support you and answer your questions with personalized information.
Other things to know
Newborn Care Specialists can also work during the day! It’s most common to have an NCS for overnights, but we absolutely care for babies during the day as well. When we do this, we often incorporate more education and household tasks.
Newborn Care Specialists and Postpartum Doulas are similar, but not exactly the same. You can learn more about exactly what Postpartum Doulas do here.
I always think it’s worth noting that there’s no judgement around your choice on whether to have direct care in the newborn period. We don’t think that taking a break makes you less of a parent, or that you’re not showing up as your best self if you’re the one up all night. Our job is to help every family have the best postpartum experience possible and set them up for joyful lives together.
Interested in personalized newborn care? Learn more about my postpartum and newborn care offerings here.
