How Overnight Newborn Care Help Parents Get More Sleep [and Why That Matters]

When you’re caring for your newborn, sleep can feel like a distant memory. Between overnight feedings, multiple diaper changing and settling your baby…[and then feeding them again] it can feel like a long night! Just when you’re ready to fall asleep, your baby reminds you it’s time to start the cycle again!

Brand new babies need to eat every 2-3 hours and sleep in 1-3 hour chunks. Parents typically need 8 hours, with at least 5 of those hours to be uninterrupted to function well. Unfortunately, nature didn’t choose to align those to conflicting factors!

At Well Supported Family, our agency specializes in overnight newborn care. That means we have professionals who drive from their homes to yours in order to help you get more sleep.

What Is a Night Nurse?

A “night nurse” is often a shorthand term for a Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) who provides hands-on support throughout the night. Many of our team members are Registered Nurses or Licensed Practical Nurses or have a nursing background. Please note that night nurse is an antiquated term and should only be used for those who are actually nurses; however, someone who cares for newborns overnight is often referred to as a night nurse or baby nurse by parents who don’t understand the correct terminology. Those within the industry are still working on regulating terminology and helping parents to understand the roles.

While not all our team members at Well Supported are medical nurses, all of our team members do hold a training qualification such as Postpartum Doula and/or Newborn Care Specialist. They have a deep understanding of newborn care, safe sleep practices, feeding support, soothing, and so much more. Anything that comes up with your baby throughout the night, your night nurse can handle.

What Does a Newborn Care Specialist Do Overnight?

Every family is different, and their needs may be different, but here are some common things to expect on an overnight:

• Prepping formula or breastmilk
• Feeding the baby bottles or bringing baby to mom to nurse
• Changing the baby’s diaper
• Burping, swaddling and settling after and between feedings
• Logging overnight activity
• Keeping an eye on cues and patterns and working towards realistic sleep goals

They should also be following all AAP safe sleep guidelines, so you know your baby is as safe as possible under their care.

Why Sleep Matters for Parents

Sleep is not a luxury. Sleep is a necessity that everyone deserves. Many parents are able to split the nights with a partner or have parents come and stay with them to help them catch up on naps during the day. However, that isn’t an option for every family, and that isn’t enough rest for every family.

Sleep is physically and emotionally imperative, especially for postpartum recovery. Lack of sleep has been linked to an increased risk of Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety. It’s also linked to impaired decision-making and slower physical recovery. When we add in other children running around so you can’t “sleep when the baby sleeps” or parents that are preparing to go back to demanding jobs with short maternity or paternity leave, it can be unsafe to be short on sleep.

Parents who are more well-rested are not only physically healthier and in a better mental headspace, but they are also able to actually enjoy their baby more during the day. Parents that choose to have overnight care with our agency often say it’s the best money they’ve ever spent and that it changed their life.

Overnight Care as an Investment in the Future

A Newborn Care Specialist will come into your home and take over care of your baby. Essentially, they are giving you the gift of sleep for the 8-12 hours that they are there. However! Our team members are also working on something called sleep conditioning. Meaning that they are working on getting your baby to sleep a little bit better every night that they are there.

Our goal is to finish our contract with your family and you fully feel like you don’t need overnights anymore! Many of the babies we work with are sleeping 8-12 hours at 8-12 weeks of age. And that’s with no crying babies, no hungry babies, no harsh methods- ever.

Parents who hire care for 4+ nights a week for 8-12 weeks are investing in a healthy sleep foundation that can carry their baby into childhood and beyond. Parents who have overnights are less likely to need to sleep train their baby later on.

[Fewer weeks and fewer nights still absolutely are beneficial, but won’t come with the same results as a heavier-handed sleep-focused schedule.]

A Well-Supported Family

We believe that a well-supported family starts with well-rested parents. Our goal is to meet you where you are with warmth, expertise, and care that fits your family’s rhythm.

If you’re considering overnights, 24/7 care or daytime support from professional, experienced providers, let’s set up a time to chat! We’d love to answer any/all questions you may have about overnight newborn care.

Do you have a Newborn Care Specialist near me?

We might have a night nurse near you. [Newborn Care Specialist]. We have teams nationwide. Here are some of the areas that we have an established team of Newborn Care Specialists and Postpartum Doulas.

• Massachusetts [Boston, Northampton, Worcester, Lowell, Plymouth, Springfield]
• Rhode Island [Providence, Newport]
• Connecticut [Stamford, Greenwich, New Haven, Hartford, New London, Danbury]
• New Hampshire [Concord, Nashua, Keene, Portsmouth]
• Maine [Portland, Kittery, York, Kennebunk]
• New York [Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester]
• New Jersey [Jersey City, Newark, Morristown, Paterson, Trenton]
• Arizona [Scottsdale, Phoenix]
• Georgia [Atlanta, Athens, Gainesville, Newnan]
• Illinois [Chicago]
• Texas [Houston, Dallas, Austin]
• Florida [Tampa, Naples, Orlando, Port St Lucie, West Palm Beach, Ft Lauderdale, Miami]

If we don’t have a team near you, we have a travel team! This team uniquely travels to where YOU are! We have supported parents in almost all 50 states with our travel team. So if you live anywhere in the United States and are looking for in-home overnights, let’s connect!