WHAT IS A
NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST?
WHAT IS A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST?
A Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) is a care professional with a unique combination of specialized skills and advanced education to provide expert care for infants as well as education for their parents. Most NCS tend to be sleep based, having advanced expertise on sleep conditioning, the act of creating healthy sleep habits from day one and encouraging independent sleep. Typically, an NCS will work with a family for the first 12-16 weeks of a child’s life, but some are open to continuing care for extended periods beyond the three-month mark. An NCS may offer consultations, overnight sleep conditioning support, daytime newborn care and education, or 24/7/travel support. An NCS often works with a goal of establishing a daytime routine that works for your baby and your family while also helping your baby learn to sleep through the night (7pm-7am) by approximately 12 weeks old. A Newborn Care Specialist provides you with information on the most effective techniques to care for your baby that follow the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and many other professional health organizations.
All NCSs are trained and experienced in a variety of topics including but not limited to common issues & ailments that newborns may experience such as reflux/GERD, caring for multiples, sleep & sleep training, developmental milestones, postpartum recovery & issues, breastfeeding, and preemie care. As such, an NCS is properly equipped to address a myriad of problems and situations that may arise within the first few months of your baby’s life.
An NCS may also offer services to assist in building your registry and ordering baby gear, setting up your nursery, writing custom sleep plans and daily schedules as your baby’s routine changes, and travel support.
An NCS takes pride in providing you the peace of mind you need to get a great night’s sleep and answers to all of your questions.
HOW IS A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST DIFFERENT FROM A NANNY OR DOULA?
While Newborn Care Specialists, postpartum doulas, and night nannies are all able to provide families with excellent services, there are some fundamental differences between each type of care professional. I believe it is important to understand some of these differences so you can make the decision in finding the support that is right for your family’s needs and goals.
Aside from an NCS, a Postpartum Doula is another support option for your growing family. While Postpartum Doulas do often care for newborns, their main goal tends to be nurturing the birthing parent and providing services that pertain to the healing of the parent and care for the family as a whole. A doula’s training and expertise centers around the birthing parent and all aspects of labor, delivery, postpartum recovery, parent/child bonding, and adjusting to caring for their little one. While a doula does provide newborn care while a parent rests, their focus is generally on the family as a whole and following the parents’ lead. A doula may offer services that include parental massage, new sibling support, cooking for the parents or family, and household support.
Generally speaking, a doula’s focus is on supporting the parents’ recovery, family bonding, and following the parents’ lead in routine and goals while being family centered. An NCS’s focus is more often on parental education, direct newborn care, and creating/implementing a routine and sleep/feeding schedule that fosters healthy development and sleep habits and that sets family up for nap and overnight sleep scheduling into the future.
Night nannies or newborn nannies are another care option. Nannies generally follow the instruction of the parents, whereas an NCS assess the parent’s goals and creates a plan to meet those goals. While most nannies will have an abundance of experience with children of varying ages, a Newborn Care Specialist is an expert in newborns and infants specifically. Additionally, there are no set training requirements necessary to work as a nanny which is not the case for an NCS or Postpartum Doula.
WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER AS A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST?
The most common service offered as an NCS is overnight newborn care, providing support and education to new parents while giving them some much-needed sleep during the overnight hours. I, personally, am a sleep based Newborn Care Specialist. I believe in providing newborns with the building blocks to form strong loving attachments, healthy sleep habits, and a routine that helps both baby and family thrive. When following baby’s cues and establishing a routine around the needs of baby and family, babies are set up for success for years into the future. As your NCS, I will provide loving care for your little one while you get some much needed rest overnight. I will help you establish those healthy routine building blocks and give your baby the tools to establish healthy sleep habits from day one (not to be confused with Cry-It-Out sleep training!). Aside from overnight newborn care, I also offer consultations, 24/7, and travel NCS support. I will be there through any challenges that many arise during your newborn journey and I will always be available to answer any of your newborn care questions, guiding and supporting you in whichever way is most helpful!
CONTACT ME
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or to schedule your consultation or overnight newborn care today!