Before you start working with a newborn care specialist, it’s a good idea to find out:
- Their experience working with newborns that may have feeding or sleeping issues
- If they have experience with bottle, breast or combination feeding
- What they can help with as you recover from having your baby
- What housework, if any, they expect to help with
- How they will communicate with you during and/or after their shift
- About their newborn safety and emergency training
- What, if anything, medical related they will help with and when they would recommend you contact your baby’s doctor
Once you’ve met with a potential newborn care specialist, discuss which times you would like help (daytime, nights, etc.) and what you’d like help with (diaper changes, bottles, etc.).
What Does That Support Actually Look Like?
The weeks after having a baby can be stressful for even the most prepared parents. Between feedings, burping, diapers, crying, your recovery, trying to adjust to any changes at home and still taking care of everything else, you and your partner may feel stretched thin. This is especially true if this is your first baby.
That’s where a newborn care specialist can help. Unlike a babysitter, a newborn care specialist focuses on the needs of newborns and their parents. Depending on your family’s needs, a newborn care specialist can work with your family during the day, at night or a combination of both.
Some things your Certified Newborn Care Specialist in New Rochelle NY may help with:
- Making bottles and cleaning bottles and feeding equipment
- Helping with feeding and keeping track of feedings if you would like
- Diaper changes, burping and soothing/settling your baby
- Helping you learn your baby’s hunger, sleep and over-stimulation cues
- Doing your baby’s laundry and keeping the nursery tidy
- Answering questions about age appropriate sleep guidance
- Keeping notes on what’s going on with your baby to make it easier for other caregivers
Hiring a newborn care specialist doesn’t mean they’re taking over your role as parent, it just eases you through some of the trial and error so you can make informed decisions about your baby with some extra support.
Why Nights and Safe Sleep Matter
With overnight support from Nanny With Kindness, parents can get much-needed rest while an experienced newborn care specialist ensures their baby’s needs are met. Families in New Rochelle can receive overnight newborn care tailored to their feeding routines and preferences. Some parents prefer to breastfeed and have the caregiver bring the baby to them, while others choose bottle-feeding so the caregiver can handle nighttime feedings. After each feeding, the newborn care specialist can burp, change, and gently resettle the baby, helping parents get more rest during those important first weeks at home.
Following Safe Sleep Practices
Not everyone follows safe sleep practices and that’s ok! We all have our habits that we grew up with or things we’ve always done. But it’s extremely important that your baby’s sleep environment is as safe as possible. Before putting your baby down to sleep, always make sure their sleeping space is free of any stuffed animals, blankets, pillows, etc. Make sure you’re using your baby’s sleeping space (bassinet, crib, etc.) as intended and always have your baby sleep on their back. If your Certified Newborn Care Specialist in New Rochelle NY notices any potential unsafe sleep practices, they should communicate this to you right away.
Getting to Know Your Baby – and Your Village
With a newborn, there’s no shortage of advice! Everyone that sees your baby has some piece of wisdom for you and half the time that advice contradicts. While your Certified Newborn Care Specialist in New Rochelle NY can’t give you all the answers, they can help you figure out what’s going on with your baby by paying attention to patterns and letting you know what they’re seeing.
Maybe your baby has been fussy, it could be because they’re hungry, uncomfortable, need to be burped, having a leap, teething, the environment is making it hard for them to settle, etc. By paying attention to what’s going on with your baby (before and after feedings, naps, being soothed, etc.) and keeping track of that information, your newborn care specialist can help you figure out what might be going on with your baby.
Not only will this help you feel more confident about what’s “normal” for your baby (spoiler alert, there isn’t really a normal with babies!), it also arms you with helpful information for any conversations you might have with your baby’s medical provider.
Part of Your Village
A Certified Newborn Care Specialist in New Rochelle NY shouldn’t be the only member of your village! Depending on your family, your village may be made up of friends, family, medical providers, lactation support (https://cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001141.pub6/full), domestic help, and others. There’s no one right way to build your village, it’s all about figuring out what works best for your family. And while having help doesn’t mean everything will fall into place right away and you’ll have a perfectly established routine, it can give you some breathing room to rest, bond with your baby and figure things out, one day at a time.