Night Nurses

It will depend on the health and needs of your baby. Some families may need a night nurse for as short as 4-weeks while others may want the security of a full year. Most families fall in the 12–16-week range, but again, this depends on the needs of your child. A benefit of working with a night nurse agency like BAHS is that our team is here to help you better review and understand your options in terms of timing, candidate pool, budget, and more.

The sooner the better. The earlier you start looking, the larger your candidate pool will be. However, sometimes clients do not know they will need a night nurse until delivery; so we have an extensive network of night nurses and NCS who can typically fill these last-minute roles right away or we can find a temporary caregiver until a long-term fit is found.

Night nurses are there to support all parents, whether you choose to breastfeed or not. Newborn night nurses will always respect the parents’ wishes. If you choose to pump or formula feed, the nurse will bottle feed your baby during the night without disrupting your sleep. If you prefer to breastfeed directly, the nurse will bring the baby to you during the evening so you can feed, then return the child to bed afterwards, so the parents’ sleep is minimally disrupted. Many night nurses are lactation specialists, and they will work with the parents to make an overnight plan that best serves the baby and parents.

A Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) is trained in newborn care and typically works with families on temporary contracts – 4-20 weeks (or longer). They can work in 12 or 24-hour shifts, including overnights. Most NCS will hold a Newborn Care Specialist certification and have extensive training in topics including feeding methods, lactation, sleep training, and more. They can handle all facets of typical newborn care but do not have a medical degree; they will know infant CPR and basic health and safety protocol but are generally not equipped to handle infants with complex medical issues. NCS also help children develop a healthy sleep routine, ensuring they maintain a balanced sleep schedule as school-aged children and later as adults. Some NCS specialize in premature babies or multiples. NCS are the most common choice for families with who are expecting.

On the other hand, night nurses have medical training and a matching degree/license; they will handle all the same care as an NCS, but can also monitor IVs and illnesses, dispense medication, and recognize and treat symptoms.  

Night nannies are not newborn specialists. They typically have experience with sleep training and work with a variety of ages and sleep issues. They are experienced overnight caregivers, but do not have the medical training of a night nurse or the newborn-focus of an NCS.

 A postpartum doula is more focused on the family holistically- specifically the birthing parent and newborn- during the postpartum period. A doula will typically help the family adjust by offering both emotional and physical support with feeding, sleep schedules, bathing, and other aspects of life with a newborn. They typically help however is needed – basic infant care, making tea for the mother, offering emotional support, taking shifts with the baby, etc. However, they do not have medical training and are not strictly child caregivers – they are a support to the whole family. Doulas will often lend a hand around the house as needed, whereas night nurses focus strictly on infant care – they do not assist with household chores or with caring for older children in the home.

First, we always suggest working with a night nurse agency like BAHS to hire a newborn night nurse. We have years of experience working with all types of newborn and childcare experts and can help find the right fit for your family. Once you contact BAHS, we will pair you with one of our experienced recruiters who will schedule a call to understand your family’s needs, preferences, concerns, schedule, and budget. After that, we will send you resumes of suitable candidates (all of whom have been vetted). Contact us today to get your search started.

Rates vary by location and the candidate’s experience, but newborn night nurses tend to be the most expensive type of overnight newborn care due to the licensing and special training required. Rates will be higher for multiples. Working with an experienced night nurse agency can also help you better understand typical compensation for your area and the type of care required.