Frequently Asked Questions

A Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) is an expert in newborn care who provides support, and education to parents. They focus on your baby’s cues and help them establish a routine. The goal is to empower you to build strong attachment, and create healthy sleep habits to set you up for success for years to come.

An NCS typically works 5-6 nights per week and they arrive at 7 pm and work until 7 am. A 12-hour shift is very common and the NCS can support you while you are getting some much-needed rest. They are also able to work 24/7 shifts and many times NCS’s work in teams of two and alternate weeks of care so they are able to support you daily for months at a time.

They are a gift to your baby’s life! The NCS can help you with your lactation needs or prepare a bottle for your baby. While you are sleeping the NCS is caring for your baby, swaddling, changing diapers, soothing, making sure your room is the best temperature for sleeping, and monitoring all your baby’s needs. They may organize a dresser filled with onesies and tiny baby clothes, and make sure the diapers and supplies are stocked. They will keep a log of your baby’s activities as well as their feeding schedule. They are there to support all your baby’s needs, listen to your fears, and give you pro tips throughout the night. An NCS is a box of knowledge who is trained to care for twins, support your newborn with reflux/GERD issues, sleep conditioning, postpartum recovery, setting up the nursery and recommending the latest and greatest products, baby laundry, sterilizing pumping parts and bottles, and establishing routines that work well for your baby and family. 

Newborn Care Specialists rest while your baby is sleeping. The room is typically either dimly lit and typically has black out shades. It is important that your NCS gets the rest that they need as well. If you do require awake care for a medically fragile baby, there are NCS’s who do specialize in this and their rates tend to be higher. If an NCS works 24-hour shifts, they will often request a 4-6 hour break to sleep.

NCS’s typically team up with families for 12-16 weeks until the baby is sleeping through the night. Many of our clients needs support as well through the 4 month sleep regression/learning leap time of growth. We do have NCS’s who work for shorter periods of time and our goal is to create a schedule that matches your needs. 

Many Newborn Care Specialists book up 3-6 months in advance. The top NCS’s get booked for second babies upon a positive pregnancy test. We have had clients try to get pregnant to align with their NCS’s availability. They are that good! We recommend starting your search when you are 16 weeks pregnant. 

The NCS team sets their own rates based on their experiences, and if they are caring for a singleton or multiples. They typically charge rates of $35-60/hour. 

BUT….. All of my friends do! This is a big “No” and the family is considered the employer. Your NCS is a professional domestic worker that has rights and they need to be paid as a W2 employee of your household. If they have their own LLC, they can be paid as an independent contractor. We would be happy to introduce you to our payroll partners and experts at HomePay who will offer you a free consultation to learn more. 

We hear these terms being used frequently and they are not the same. A baby nurse and night nurse are antiquated terms and these individuals are not typically trained nurses. In 2007, the childcare industry developed the term Newborn Care Specialist to create less confusion. Parents thought if they were hiring a baby nurse, they were getting RN’s to care for their babies. While some of our candidates do have a nursing degree, the majority of NCS’s do not. They have training and certifications in newborn care and years of experience caring for newborns and infants in private households.

A Postpartum Doula is a trained professional who provides physical and emotional support as well as education to the family during the fourth trimester. They take a holistic approach to establish gentle sleep associations and rhythms for your baby and they answer all of your parenting questions.

It’s that sweet period of adrenaline and hormone crashing time (12 weeks) after the baby’s birth. Moms may go through the baby blues and mood swings. During this time, parents need extra support and rest as this is monumental time of healing and transition.

How much you invest in your doula depends on where you are located. These trained experts typically charge $45-60/hour.

A daytime Postpartum Doula typically works 8 hour shifts and arrive between 8-9 am. The doula will listen to your mama needs, and make you a protein based snack or breakfast. They will encourage you to get plenty of rest and take sitz baths for healing, and sit outside to get some Vitamin D or sip a delicious herbal tea. The doula will care for your baby, and they may wear your baby to do light cleaning or fold baby laundry while you nap. The doula will help you bond with your baby and offer you a lactation cookie or make you a little snack. They will discuss soothing techniques with you and teach you how to swaddle and soothe your baby. A night Postpartum Doula typically arrives at 7 or 8 pm and works 10-12 hour shifts that are customized to each parent. They arrive and check in on you to make sure you are doing okay and then answer any questions about your baby. The goal for overnight care is to make sure the parents get the sleep they need to reset mentally and physically while the Postpartum Doula gives the baby a bath and helps support you on your nursing, formula feeding or pumping journey. While you sleep, the doula is changing diapers and swaddling your baby. They will put in a feeding plan in place and communicate with you throughout the night to make sure you feel supported. The doula will bring the baby to you for nursing sessions and fill up your water bottle and bring you a granola bar or almonds. The doula will log all of the night feeds, and wake ups, as well as eliminations (yes, we are talking poop). Get used to it, mama!