What is a Newborn Care Specialist - Newborn Help Defined
Please feel free to contact Nancy at 602-263-1003 or check out her website at www.exclusivelybabynurses.org for agency help or www.exclusivelynewborns.com for personal help.
There are many misconceptions on the differences between a Night Nanny, a Baby Nurse, a Doula and a Newborn Care Specialist. I would like to take this opportunity to define these differences. Night Nanny is a person who comes into your home at night and cares for your baby. She takes her instruction from the parents and is generally not educated in newborn techniques nor can she give updated advice on the care of newborns. She will generally charge accordingly. Usually $10 - $18 hour. Baby Nurse is an RN or LPN. She will generally come into the home when the newborn has medical issues that cannot be tended to by a Newborn Care Specialist. She will assist the parents in a serious medical situation and the newborn will generally need around the clock medical attention. A Baby Nurse can also be a Newborn Care Specialist but must be trained more extensively in practical newborn care. A Baby Nurse will charge one half to two times more than a Newborn Care Specialist. She will generally charge $30 - $50 an hour. Doula is sometimes called a Mother’s Mother. She may be a Post Partum Doula or she could be a Pregnancy Doula. A Pregnancy/Birth Doula will assist the Mother throughout her entire pregnancy and birth. Her job will be complete at the birth. A Post Partum Doula takes over where the Birth Doula leaves off. She will follow the Mother home and assist her with *** feeding and she will tend to the Mother’s needs. She will not tend to the baby unless the Mother specifically requests that she do this. She is not educated in newborn issues to the same extent as the Newborn Care Specialist as her job is the Mother. She will generally charge by the job. Certified Newborn Care Specialist is exactly what the name denotes. She is a specialist in newborn care from birth to 12 weeks (adjusted age). She is more educated in that specific age than a Baby Nurse. Although a Baby Nurse is more experienced in the medical aspects, she will not have the practical experience of the Certified Newborn Care Specialist. A skilled and certified Newborn Care Specialist will have well-rounded knowledge in formula and breastfeeding, understand how to effectively set up a routine that fits the family's lifestyle, be able to interpret and adequately respond to a baby's needs, establish healthy sleep habits, know about diaper rashes, circumcision care, reflux, colic, swaddling, soothing techniques and how to effectively set up the family for success. She will be experienced in preemies, multiples and special needs babies. She will generally come in for one week to three months relieving Mom at night and educating the parents while she is there. Most Newborn Care Specialists are also available for day duty, around the clock or as a consultant. Her goal to work herself "out" of a job by the time the baby is 3 months old and typically sleeping through the night.
There is so much to know about babies and a Newborn Care Specialist is a person who is ‘in the know'.
I would strongly suggest that you make sure the Newborn Care Specialist/Baby Nurse you hire is certified by a qualified agent. Those ladies will carry the initials CNCS (Certified Newborn Care Specialists) behind their name. Many ladies call themselves Newborn Care Specialists/ Baby Nurses but not all are qualified to be doing that job.