What is a Newborn Care Specialist?

Do one of these terms sound more familiar, Night Nanny or Baby Nurse? All of these terms have been used interchangeably in the past but in reality there is vast difference in their duties. A Night Nanny is simply a lady who comes into your home at night and gets up with your newborn when he/she awakens. She is not educated in newborn issues and will do only what the client instructs her. At times it can be like the blind leading the blind. A Baby Nurse is a registered RN or LPN who comes into your home and cares for your newborn’s medical issues. So what is a Newborn Care Specialist?

Not to long ago I received a call from the mommy of a newborn little girl and she wanted to know how to figure out the amount of formula that her precious little girl should be consuming each day. She suspected her Nanny was over feeding her. We sat down and figured it out, using a specific formula of how much her daughter should be eating for her weight. It turned out she was being over fed 10 ounces daily.

With yet another Mother, her daughter was being drastically underfed. Both of these issues are life threatening.

New parents may not understand how important a sleep, feed, wake schedule is to a new baby and how that determines sleep patterns at night                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Unfortunately, most parents do not understand the importance and benefits of swaddling a baby or the proper technique used in the swaddling procedure. They are surprised to learn that a swaddled baby will sleep longer and more peacefully.

Bring home baby is not as simple as it is cracked up to be. There is a whole world of information you have to know. You can read the books and go to the classes but when that sweet little bundle arrives in your home, all your learning can go out the window. It was so much less complicated soothing and burping the doll or watching the video.

Newborn Care Specialist Defined

All this and more is what a Newborn Care Specialist will do. 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 Specialist are also available for day duty or 24/7 duty. 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’. You can find these wonderful ladies at your local Baby Nurse agencies, by referral from friends and by going on line and inputting "baby nurse Phoenix"

While doing your search for a Newborn Care Specialist remember that although they are not usually RN’s or LPN’s, they can be, and these ladies are called Baby Nurses. We 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.

Sleeping through the night

I would love to specifically address one issue that is near and dear to my heart. Let’s talk about this "sleeping through the night" phenomenon that some babies seem to be doing. Is it really possible? Can my baby really do that? What exactly is sleeping through the night? How do I do that? Do I need a specialist to come in and do it for me or can I do it on my own?

I have done consultations with parents who have had 7 and 8 month old babies who are still getting up one or two times a night for a bottle. O.K. let’s be realistic, I have had parents of 2 and 3 year olds calling me with their toddlers still getting up at night. Those little ones basically have Dad and Mom wrapped right around their little pinkie. They do not need that nutrition in the middle of the night. They should be getting all the required ounces during the day. The night time is just a habit they have gotten into and convinced their parents they needed.

Can my baby do that?

You bet! Don’t let the little pistol fool you. They do have a daily requirement of food they need and generally by 12 weeks they are getting it all during the daylight hours. Remember the bottle you cut out at night will be made up by your little one during the day. That will happen one of two ways, either by you adding ounces to the bottle or by them demanding more.

Sleeping through the night is an entirely possible feat for a baby who weighs 12 pounds or is 12 weeks old (full term).* We consider sleeping through the night from 7 PM – 7 AM. Some people consider 11 PM – 7 PM a full night. We think the baby should be able to do that by 10 weeks, with the full 12 hours by 12 weeks of age. One of my clients recorded this on their blog about their 6 week old twins. "Hallelujah!  We skipped a feeding!  Nurse Nancy is paying dividends in huge ways.  Following her schedule, advice and training our Daniel Duo fell asleep at 10 pm and did not wake until 4:30 am.  I can't possible express how great this is.  I'm so excited I can't go back to sleep.  And for you conspiracy theorist, yes the baby monitor was on, and no there was not "night cap" involved".

Can I do it on my own?

That is the question of the decade. To be able to do it on your own you must emotional detach from your baby during night time hours. Some parents can do that, some cannot. Our philosophy is "at night there is no love, only business" If you are a parent who can snuggle, love and cuddle during the day and stick to business at night you should be able to sleep train your baby to sleep during the night.

This is a time the "Newborn Care Specialist" services can extremely helpful. Starting when your baby comes home from the hospital, by putting your baby on a great sleep and feed schedule, she will gradually help your baby sleep a little longer each night until she is sleeping the entire night.

Summery

So to sum up what we have learned. A Newborn Care Specialist can be a wonderful asset to your family when you arrive home with your newborn. Her services are priceless when she leaves 12 weeks later and your evenings are yours to share with your other children or your spouse. You will feel more confident in your newborn care skills and you will be well on your way to a well integrated family structure. Even if you decide to gift yourself with only a couple of weeks of help, the education you will receive and the rest you will get for those two weeks will have your friends envious.