Welcome to Well Supported Family
Our Story & Growth Since 2015
You may have heard of us before under the name Nightingale Night Nurses! In 2025 we have transitioned to a new brand name: Well Supported Family. You'll find the same expert, dedicated care with a new name that captures the full spectrum of our newborn care and postpartum support for your family. Below, please enjoy learning about our story & growth over the past decade, and our vision for the next decade to come!
Kristin Smith
OWNER & FOUNDER
Well Supported Family was founded in 2015 by Kristin Smith under the name Nightingale Night Nurses. As a Newborn Care Specialist, Postpartum Doula, Sleep Consultant, Birth Doula, and trained homebirth midwife, she saw a growing need for compassionate, professional support during the often-overlooked postpartum period.
Kristin witnessed how challenging those first weeks can be [physically, emotionally, and mentally] and realized there was a gap between what families needed and what was available.
At the same time, more and more parents were reaching out to her directly for in-home help, and she knew she couldn’t do it alone.
Kristin wanted to find a way to support more families while also creating flexible, meaningful work for skilled caregivers, especially for those seeking a career that could fit naturally into their lives and family rhythms.
With that balance in mind, Nightingale Night Nurses was born. Kristin began seeking out the best Newborn Care Specialists, Postpartum Doulas, RNs, and LPNs in the field. From the beginning, the agency’s mission was simple: to give parents peace of mind and rest while giving caregivers a professional, sustainable path to share their expertise.
The Early Days and Steady Growth
What began as a small, heart-driven service in Massachusetts quickly gained a reputation for calm, trusted, and evidence-based newborn care. Families appreciated the professionalism and warmth of the team: caregivers who could step into a home and bring comfort, order, and rest to tired parents.
Kristin ran the agency as a business. She set on-call timeframes within clear contracts, giving parents the confidence that they would get the in-home care they booked. She had clear invoicing and illness policies. And she vetted new Nightingales thoroughly and subsequently held them to a high standard.
As word spread, Nightingale Night Nurses grew from Massachusetts into Connecticut and Rhode Island, then all across New England. Soon, families in New York and New Jersey began reaching out, and then we built teams of Nightingales in Chicago, Arizona, Florida, and Georgia.
With each expansion, Kristin and the team stayed true to their roots: pairing families with the right caregivers, maintaining exceptional vetting standards, and cultivating a team culture built on empathy, professionalism, and genuine care.
Systems continued to become smoother and more precise. As client volume grew, we learned and grew through each experience.
What started as one woman’s mission to fill a gap in postpartum support had become a nationwide community of Newborn Care Specialists and Postpartum Doulas, all guided by the same heart and vision that inspired Nightingale Night Nurses from the very beginning.
As we grew, so did the needs of the families we served.
As Nightingale Night Nurses grew, so did the range of services families were asking for. What began as overnight newborn care quickly expanded into daytime support, 24-hour live-in and travel care, sleep training, nanny placements, and baby registry planning.
It became clear that what families valued most wasn’t just some rest overnight, it was feeling supported in every part of their journey. From the moment a baby is born to the months that follow, parents need reliable, compassionate guidance from experts in the field.
Over time, our mission outgrew our name. We were no longer just a team of “night nurses”; we were a network of professionals dedicated to nurturing the whole family experience.
The Transition to Well Supported Family
In 2025, we officially became Well Supported Family, a name that better reflects both who we are and where we are headed.
The decision wasn’t made lightly. The term “night nurse” has long been used to describe overnight newborn care, but it’s also an antiquated and often misunderstood [and sometimes illegal] label.
As the industry continues to evolve, we want to be at the forefront of clarity, ethics, and professionalism, helping to define and regulate standards for postpartum support.
While we still retain medical nurses on our team, we are primarily Newborn Care Specialists and Postpartum Doulas, and want to be clear to parents on the background of individuals providing them care.
Our new name honors that commitment while opening the door to continued growth.
Well Supported Family captures the heart of our mission: to help parents rest, recover, and thrive through every stage of early parenthood, with the right care, the right information, and the right professionals beside them.
Though the name has changed, the foundation remains the same: the same trusted team, the same rigorous vetting process, and the same belief that every family deserves to feel truly supported.
While our name is new, the heart of our work remains exactly the same.
We still believe in compassionate, evidence-based care that helps families feel rested, confident, and supported. Every caregiver on our team is carefully selected and thoroughly vetted for professionalism, experience, expert training, communication, and reliability.
Families who found peace of mind with Nightingale Night Nurses will find that same care, but now with an even wider network of services and resources designed to meet them wherever they are in their journey.
Here at Well Supported Family, you'll find:
What's new and exciting:
Well Supported Family represents growth, not just in name, but in possibility. We’ve expanded to serve families nationwide, offering care that goes beyond overnight support.
We’re continuing to find new ways to help parents feel confident, informed, and well cared for. We’re also working to strengthen standards within the newborn care industry, providing education to parents and caregivers alike on terminology and the importance of reputable trainings.
As our Well Supported Family community expands across the USA, one thing remains true: we’re here to make sure every family [and every caregiver] feels well supported.