Infant Night Time Care
Baby Nurse or Postpartum Doula?
First, what is the difference between a night postpartum doula and a baby nurse? Years ago, and sometimes today, one might hear the term “baby nurse” being used to describe the person who helps a newborn’s family at night. These baby nurses are typically non-medically trained individuals specializing in infant care and development. These baby nurses are often not registered nurses or possess any medical background. The few who do will usually make a point to specify so.
Other terms for a baby nurse include night nurse, night nanny, or newborn care specialist. All three are used interchangeably to describe someone who specializes in caring for a newborn. Baby nurses have been around for many years.
Years ago, women who couldn’t breastfeed used a baby nurse or wet nurse to feed their babies. The wet nurses were with the baby 24/7 and would help care for the newborn until weaning. Many families still use a baby nurse/ night nanny or newborn care specialist in modern society. Not necessarily for nursing but for day/night newborn care during the early months of infancy. Additionally, postpartum doulas have become an increasingly popular choice for both day and night care because of the expanded role they play.
So, what makes an overnight postpartum doula different from a baby nurse? There are a few areas where night postpartum doulas differ. A postpartum doula is still a trained individual specializing in newborn care and development and all things newborn-related.
They can perform everything necessary to take excellent care of your precious newborn baby day or night, just as the baby nurse/night nurse of old. They differ because their training and focus do not end with newborn care but also include postpartum family care! The list of our duties includes such tasks as:
Postpartum doulas assist with breastfeeding when needed.
Postpartum doulas are a wealth of information and care regarding postpartum-specific issues and challenges the birth mother may face.
If the mom is pumping, the postpartum doula can assist by ensuring the milk is stored correctly, and the pump is washed and ready for use in the next session.
Access to the postpartum doula via phone/text/email to answer infant care or postpartum care questions outside of working hours.
Postpartum doulas are also a wealth of resources about issues about postpartum time and can provide referrals for many issues.
Postpartum doulas can also help with family laundry or other simple household chores if time permits (meaning baby is sleeping).
Who uses an overnight postpartum doula?
Overnight postpartum doulas are used for many different reasons and by many different families:
Families with multiples need some nighttime support to get some rest. Having multiples is challenging, and finding time to rest during the day or night is hard.- Families that do not have local family support- many of our clients are from out of town or the country or don’t have family they can count on
Mothers that have had a cesarean birth- the first few weeks after delivery can be rough as mom recovers from pregnancy & surgery. Lifting the baby up and down stairs can be physically exhausting
Parents that need to get back to work quickly and need to get some solid sleep time at night
Mothers who just have a high need for sleep. Some of us just need more sleep than others, and getting a long stretch at night is what you need to be functional.
Families that are prone to depression and anxiety. It’s a well-known fact that lack of sleep exacerbates both conditions.- Those needing and wanting breastfeeding/pumping support. When you are tired and trying to establish breastfeeding, it’s nice to have a free set of hands and our support to help on your breastfeeding journey.
Families with other children. Let’s face it: older children are often ready to go bright and early, and parents do not have time throughout the day to catch up on sleep. A postpartum night doula will take excellent care of your newborn and the mother throughout the night. Baby nurses/night nurses are also great but do not offer the additional postpartum mother, household, or breastfeeding/ pumping support some desire.
For over ten years, Nurtured Foundation has provided day and overnight postpartum doula support in the Cleveland and Akron areas. We have highly trained postpartum doulas who specialize in night care for the family. If you would like more information on our postpartum night doulas or any of our birth and postpartum services, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.