Hi everyone and welcome to my first blog! I love babies and am very skilled in their care. I have such compassion for new families trying to do everything right and feeling exhausted for their efforts. Newborns are a sweet blessing and a lot of work! Today I'd like to address the questions many parents ask when considering overnight care for their newborn.
So what is overnight newborn care all about? Families hire me to care for their babies so a new mom can recover from childbirth or exhausted parents can catch up on their much-needed sleep. This ranges anywhere from one night to seven full days and nights during the week. My shift starts at 9:00 or 10:00 in the evening until 6:00 in the morning. Upon arriving, I ask how your baby’s day has been and what his/her schedule has been like. This information assists me in preparing for the nighttime. I also answer any questions you may have before doing a mental checklist to be sure everything I will need is available. Then it’s your turn to relax and leave everything to me.
During my shift, I handle all care for the baby. Besides comforting your baby, I take care of the swaddling, diaper changes, bottle preparation and washing, and tidying of the nursery. Bottle feedings of formula or pumped breastmilk, whichever method your family has chosen, are taken care of by me. If baby is breastfed, it’s important for mom to breastfeed those first weeks to help establish her milk supply. How does that work? I simply take the baby to mom when he/she is ready to eat. After mom and baby have finished their time together, I take baby back to the nursery and mom goes back to sleep. When my shift is over in the morning, I provide a recap of everything that happened overnight. I welcome any questions you may have. I then say goodbye to a refreshed parent and look forward to coming back in the evening or whenever my next scheduled shift may be.
Newborn care is a special opportunity for me to share my knowledge and love for babies. I learn something new from every baby I care for, and I get back everything I give. I feel privileged to be a part of this beautiful beginning of your baby's life!
