Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST?
A Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) is a highly-trained postpartum care professional, specializing in the inital 0-16 weeks after birth. With expertise tailored to newborns and infants, NCSs will confidently walk you through all aspects of care for your newborn during those foundational first few months of life. NCSs stay current with the latest guidelines and recommendations from professional health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Given such thorough education and training, you can rest assured that they are more than equipped to help you from day one.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HIRING A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST?
The biggest benefits bar none... you get sleep AND education! The guidance and care NCSs provide allows parents to get the rest that they need which results in more relaxed and enjoyable times with their newborns. NCSs are well educated on newborn and infant milestones and ensure babies and parents are well tended to. In addition, having an NCS provides a certain emotional aspect of support, knowing that you and your baby have someone there to help with routines for healthy baby sleep and feeding, plus address common parental concerns.
WHY IS CERTIFICATION IMPORTANT?
When choosing a newborn care specialist, certification is key. A Certificate of Completion from a training is NOT the same as a Certification! Certified Newborn Care Specialists and Doulas have undergone extensive training and are certified by reputable third-party organizations that review and verify coursework, field experience and knowledge on newborn care. Certifications in birthwork are a commitment to professionalism that makes providers stand out as experienced experts.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL SCHEDULE FOR A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST?
An NCS usually provides Overnight or 24/7 care. Overnight shifts may be between 8-12 hours long, from 8pm to 8am on average. There is flexibility on these times to customize to your family's needs. For overnight shifts, the latest start time is 10pm and the earliest shift end time is 6am per industry safety standards. Overnight care is often requested for 5-7 nights a week, for 3-6 months, and the schedule is typically a set schedule, agreed upon at the beginning of the contract.
WHAT KIND OF THINGS DOES A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST DO?
Basically, everything that the baby needs, the NCS takes care of including diapering, swaddling, soothing, bottle feedings or bringing baby to a nursing mom for feedings. Starting on day 1, the NCS works with you to establish and support healthy eating and safe sleep habits for your newborn. The NCS assists with tasks like bottle preparation, cleaning and sterilizing of bottles and breast pump parts, umbilical cord care, circumcision care, restocking/tidying up the baby’s nursery, gentle newborn sleep conditioning, working on daytime and nightime routines, baby’s laundry, bathing your baby and more. We also keep a close eye out for any concerns that may come up so that you can check with your pediatrician.