NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST WHAT IS IT? DO I NEED ONE?

Do any of these terms sound familiar: Night Nanny, Baby Nurse or Newborn Care Specialist?  Each of these terms has been used interchangeably in the past, but in reality there is vast difference in their duties. A Night Nanny is simply a person 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?

Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) is an extensively educated, skilled person who has a well-rounded knowledge in formula and breastfeeding, understands how to effectively set up a routine that fits the family’s lifestyle, is able to interpret and adequately respond to a baby’s needs, establish healthy sleep habits, knows 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 the parents at night and educating them while she is there. Most Newborn Care Specialists are also available for day duty or round the clock duty. Her goal is to work herself "out" of a job by the time the baby is 3 months old and typically sleeping from 7 PM to 7 AM without waking.

Once a baby reaches 12 weeks or 12 pounds he/she should be sleeping all night without waking. A Newborn Care Specialist is trained to help a baby accomplish this using gentle no cry methods.

A great schedule is the key to a happy baby.  Implementing a good sleep, feed, and wake schedule can be the key to a peaceful home and baby.  A baby with a good schedule will also sleep better at night.   A Newborn Care Specialist can help set that up.

A trained Newborn Care Specialist is an expert in swaddling and can show new parents how to become experts also.  Many new parents do not realize that when proper swaddling techniques are used, the benefits will be a baby who sleeps longer and more peaceful.

Bring home baby is not as simple as it is cracked up to be. 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. There is so much to know about babies and a Newborn Care Specialist is a person who is ‘in the know’.

While doing your search for a newborn care, we would strongly suggest that you make sure the Newborn Care Specialist you hire is certified by a qualified agent.  The Newborn Care Specialist Association is the certifying agent for the Newborn Care Specialist and can be researched at www.ncsainfo.com . Certified individuals  carry the initials CNCS (Certified Newborn Care Specialists) behind their name. Many individuals call themselves Newborn Care Specialists but not all are qualified to be doing that job, causing countless problems you will be calling a certified NCS to fix.

Summary

Arriving home with your newborn, a Newborn Care Specialist can be a wonderful asset to your family and to Mom’s recovery. Her services are priceless when she leaves 12 weeks later. Your baby should be sleeping through the night, 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.

Nancy Hamm is a Certified Newborn Care Specialist with over 35,000 hours of on-the-job experience.  She owns Exclusively Baby Nurses www.exclusivelybabynurses.com  a professional placement agency, The Baby Nurse Directory www.TheBabyNurseDirectory.com  a free referral network for new parents; she does sleep consulting, and is available for night-time work.  She can be reached at 800-337-0650.

Comments

[Baby Gifts]

Thanks for sharing the information, you have explained and pointed out the necessity in a nice way.

[baby care]

I just cant stop reading this. Its so cool, so full of information that I just didn’t know. The quality of content is fine and the conclusion is good. Thanks for the post

[Beth]

Thanks for the comments!