What is a Newborn Care Specialist?
The Newborn Care Specialist (also known as a baby nurse or maternity nurse) is a professionally trained individual that possesses a unique expertise on all aspects of newborn care. She is there to nurture and care for the newborn as well as educate and assist the parents. She will have many years of infant experience and her specialty is generally with infants 0-3 months of age.
What does a Newborn Care Specialist Do?
The primary duty of the Newborn Care Specialist is to help create a smooth transition for the family by educating and assisting the parents after the baby comes home from the hospital. She may work nights, caring for the baby so the parents can rest peacefully, days, or provide 24/7 care. Depending on the needs of the family the Newborn Care Specialist will typically work with one family for a few weeks to several months.
The NCS is not generally responsible for duties unrelated to the newborn such as household tasks or caring for other children.
General duties of the Newborn Care Specialist:
- Educate & assist the parents
- Help create a smooth transition for the family after baby comes home from the hospital
- Breastfeeding education & support
- Maintain an infant sleep, feed & behavior log
- Soothe the infant using skilled and proven techniques
- To provide care for the newborn by performing some of the following tasks:
- Help establish healthy sleep habits, sleep training when requested
- Maintain infant log
- Organization and maintenance of the nursery
- Bottle prep, cleaning & sterilization
- Take over complete care of the infant at night
- Create an appropriate feeding schedule
- Dressing
- Diapering
- Bathing
- Feeding
- Circumcision care
- Umbilical cord care
Understanding your Newborn Care Specialist's qualifications
It's important to take time to vet you Newborn Care Specialist, thoroughly. Why? For a few reasons:
- There isn't a unified body that governs the industry. This means that each Newborn Care Specialist has a unique background with different training and experience. The number of hours and years of experience working with newborns will vary greatly.
- Not all Newborn Care Specialists are certified. There is nothing to mandate this. Many newer Newborn Care Specialists take a weekend course and believe they are certified. Certification generally takes several years to complete.
- This provider will be in your home caring for your precious baby.
How to qualify your Newborn Care Specialist
- Interview any potential candidate in person if possible. Make a list and ask plenty of questions.
- Ask for letters of recommendation.
- Ask for references from past clients. Make sure to call them.
- Look for online reviews.
- Ask for her background check, infant CPR certification, resume and copies of any other professional certifications.
If you’re overwhelmed by the thought of caring for your newborn, or just want some professional guidance, we would love to help! Please contact us today.