Nursed & Nurtured Specialized Services

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What is the role of a Postpartum Doula, and why every parent should have one:

The needs of each family are unique, so the care for each family will be customized to their particular needs and desires. This could include providing comfort measures to the postpartum parent in recovery after childbirth, such as head/back/shoulder rubs, foot/ankle herbal soak and massage, sitz baths to promote comfort and healing of perineal tears or episiotomy, relief from breast engorgement and more.

Other Types of Support may include:

Other types of support may be assistance with ambulation after c-section, emotional support through potential mental health challenges, assistance with breastfeeding and/or pumping, help with developing new routines & healthy habits, infant/sibling care so exhausted parents can sleep, preparing meals & healthy snacks to support nutritional needs for postpartum recovery and breastfeeding, nursery restocking and baby laundry, or meal planning/prepping for healthy family meals, etc.

Additional Educational Support You Can Expect:
 

Other support that can be provided is education on newborn care basics, infection prevention, infant mental health & development, postpartum recovery & pelvic floor health, feeding & milk storage protocols, baby-wearing, sleep safety & conditioning, early parenting, attachment and bonding, maternal nutrition guidance to promote healing & increase milk supply, stress management, signs & symptoms of baby blues or postpartum depression, and when to reach out to your provider.

Developing your Plan of Care is a team effort and based on YOUR needs:

Depending on your unique physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs, we'll develop a customized care plan together that is tailor-made just for you, your baby, and the unique needs of YOUR family.

The aim is to provide you with professional, nurturing care to promote recovery, giving you the peace of mind and the rest you need during this life-changing time of transition for you and your family. Allow me to nurse and nurture YOU, so you are prepared to nurse and nurture your baby.

**Note: 

This service is available Monday-Saturday for day-time doula care and support.  If desired, it can be combined with overnight newborn care for a customized package that meets your needs for doula support during the day AND newborn care overnight. Book a Free Nurture Call to discuss your needs. 

Daily Hours Minimum and Maximum:
Minimum of 3 hours per visit / Maximum of 8 hours per visit

Day-Time Doula Rates:

*Standard Rate: $35 per hour  (day-time hours Mon-Sat, non-holidays)

*Overtime Rate: $52.50 per hour (time and a half for hours over 40 per week)

*Holiday Rate: $55 per hour (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, Easter Day, Independence Day)

Retainer Fee: 

equal to 40 hours of service = $1,400 (this holds you place and then is credited toward your first 40 hours of care)

Note: This retainer fee reserves your care so that I don't commit to another family. You have 24 hours after signing the care contract to change your mind and get a complete refund minus $100 administration fee. After the 24 hour grace period, there are no refunds.

Cancellations: 

*Standare Care Sessions: 48-hour notice required.

*Holiday Care Sessions: 72-hour notice required.

*Cancellations outside of these required timeframes will incur a charge of 3 hours of either the standard or holiday rate. 

*Emergency Cancellation situations will be considered on a case by case basis. 

**IMPORTANT:
I work exclusively with only 1-2 families at one time, so please book early in your pregnancy to reserve your Doula and/or Newborn Care Specialist services to ensure I am available near your due date and not already contracted with another family. Thank you.

What is the role of the Newborn Care Specialist, and why every family should have one:

A Newborn Care Specialist's role is to provide professional, safe, and nurturing care to your newborn so you can get the rest you need to recover and heal. With a trusted NCS attending to your baby's every need, you can have the peace of mind to sleep deeply because you will not have to sleep with one eye and one ear open, knowing a dedicated NCS is being your eyes and ears for you. You will "sleep like a baby" knowing your little one is receiving tender loving care while you rest and recover.

What else can you expect:

If bottle feeding will be the method of feeding during the night, you can expect your newborn care specialist to take over all night duties such as diapering, soothing, promoting safe sleep conditions, feeding, burping, monitoring, restocking nursery supplies, sterilizing bottles, and doing baby laundry if requested (so that's one less thing on your to-do list the next morning.)

If you plan on breastfeeding, the same care as described above will be given to your baby. You can also expect your NCS to bring the baby to you for nursing sessions, keep you company (if you'd like) so you don't feel alone during those middle-of-the-night feedings, and then tuck you back into bed so you can get right back to sleep. If you'll be pumping during the night, you can expect the same care, except instead of bringing the baby to you, your pumping supplies will be brought to you and then cleaned afterwards, so you're ready for the next pumping session with minimal disruption to your sleep.

Is a Newborn Care Specialist and Baby Nurse the same thing?

Well, yes and no. Newborn Care Specialists (NCS) have been called by many names... Night Nanny, Baby Nurse, Night Nurse, etc. but in most cases, a NCS is not a licensed or registered nurse, but an infant care specialist, professionally trained to provide exceptional care to newborn infants between birth to about 4 months old. However, in my case, I have been trained and have practiced as both... a Registered Nurse and a Newborn Care Specialist.

Although I am both, in this role in a family, I am in the position of a Newborn Care Specialist and not the role of a medical professional, RN, and must stay within my scope of practice. My background in nursing can be very beneficial as I care for your baby, and indeed helpful in providing newborn care and health education, but I cannot diagnose and will always refer you to your baby's pediatrician or your family provider when a medical concern arises.

So, when someone casually uses the titles "baby nurse" and "newborn care specialist" interchangeably to describe the person who cares for their newborn overnight... yes, they are referring to the same person. However, legally, they are not the same thing, and I make this distinction to help families understand the differences in the education level and the scope of practice of each.

This invaluable care aims to give babies the attentive, loving care they need throughout the night, so parents can have the peace of mind to get the much-needed sleep they need to do the challenging (and rewarding) work of bonding and caring for their newborn baby as new parents.

** Note:
This service is available Sunday - Friday nights for overnight newborn care.  If desired, it can be combined with morning Doula Care for a customized package that meets your needs for doula support during the day AND newborn care overnight. Book a Free Nurture Call to discuss your needs. 

Night-time Hours Minimum and Maximum:
Minimum of 8 hours per overnight care session / Maximum of 12 hours per overnight care session

Overnight Newborn Care Specialist Rates:

*Standard Care Rate: $40 per hour  (overnighht hours Sunday - Friday, non-holidays, NCS responds immediatley when newborn stirs and rests when infant sleeps; resting accomadations in newborn's nursery required)

*Overtime Rate: $60 per hour (time and a half for hours over 40 per week)

*Holiday Rate: $60 per hour (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, Easter Day, Independence Day)

*Medical Monitoring/ Constant Care Rate: $15 additonal charge added to above rates (NCS remains awake all night  for around-the-clock constant monitoring; no resting accomadations needed)

Retainer Fee: 

equal to 40 hours of standared overnight care = $1,600 (this holds you place and then is credited toward your first 40 hours of care)

Note: This retainer fee reserves your care so that I don't commit to another family. You have 24 hours after signing the care contract to change your mind and get a complete refund minus $100 administration fee. After the 24 hour grace period, there are no refunds.

Cancellations: 

*Standare Care Sessions: 48-hour notice required.

*Holiday Care Sessions: 72-hour notice required.

*Cancellations outside of these required timeframes will incur a charge of 3 hours of either the standard or holiday rate. 

*Emergency Cancellation situations will be considered on a case by case basis. 

**IMPORTANT:
I work exclusively with only 1-2 families at one time, so please book early in your pregnancy to reserve your Doula and/or Newborn Care Specialist services to ensure I am available near your due date and not already contracted with another family. Thank you.