If you’re a member of local Detroit parenting groups on Facebook you may have seen or heard about the various terms used to describe what we do. People often throw around a LOT of different titles when it comes to newborn care and may use the terms Newborn Care Specialist (NCS), Postpartum Doula, Baby Nurse and “Night Nanny” interchangeably. Do the varying terms make you wonder what’s the difference between them all? If you’ve ever been confused by these varying terms or are curious to know which is best for your family, we’re here to help!

The similarities in each of these postpartum-focused professions is that they all support new families and growing families throughout the weeks, months and even years following birth. And while the focus of each profession can be similar, the scope of practice, certification process, and approach to care can often be very, very different.

Baby Nurse

It’s important to know - there are no specific credentials or training associated with being a “night nurse” or a “baby nurse”. Sure, there are trainings people can take to know how to care for babies, but a “baby nurse” or a “night nurse” are not, in fact, nurses at all. Nor are they typically trained to provide any type of medical care to your infant. To my knowledge, most people advertising their services as a '“baby nurse,” “night nurse” or “night nanny” rarely have any type of legal contract or have any professional experience running a business. What they do have, is a love for caring for families and many of those families find that is enough to hire them. For other families, the lack of contract or professional training can be a red flag. I’m not entirely sure where these interchanging terms with the word “nurse” came from but they can be extremely misleading to parents seeking trusted and certified support.

Nanny

Many nannies on the other hand have trainings and qualifications and continuing education options available. But they may not begin providing childcare until your baby is a bit older (possibly 3-6 months) and may stay with a family for years. And while they undoubtedly have a love for children, they may not be educated on newborn specific care and all the things that comes with that (including lactation support, using a breast pump, caring for medically fragile infants, etc). They likely provide care under a parents direction and are often with families during the daytime rather than at night. Families that are looking for a childcare professional to grow with them and stay with them for 1+ years, are likely going to find the best support from a nanny. However, if you plan to hire a NCS or Doula for the first precious months of your babies life, they can help you transition to nanny care when you’re ready.

Now, to the nitty gritty of what we offer at Detroit Dreams Tonight. Our team members are not nannies or night nurses (although many of them are former nannies and have lots of experience in the childcare or child development fields!). Our team is comprised of trained and certified Newborn Care Specialists (NCS) and Postpartum Doulas or BOTH!

Newborn Care Specialist

A Newborn Care Specialist is just exactly that - someone who is professionally trained and specializes in the art of newborn care! Typically a NCS will work for 3-9 months (sometimes a year) with one family providing full time overnight (5-6 nights per week) or live-in support. They are there to provide compassionate care for your baby or babies, educate you on up-to-date newborn care recommendations, provide baby gear tutorials, and assist in creating rhythms in your home, including bedtime and sleep routines. NCS training includes education on “normal” newborn care, but also addresses caring for preemies, multiples, babies with reflux, medically fragile infants, and more! Many NCS also specialize in gentle sleep shaping or sleep conditioning reducing the need to sleep train later. It’s also not uncommon for a NCS to travel with families on vacations or for work.

Postpartum Doula

A Postpartum Doula can also offer overnight or live-in care, but are available to provide short-term care, part-time daytime care, and may often work with multiple families at one time. While well-versed in newborn care, a doula’s focus is on the entire family unit providing more of an emphasis on physical and emotional recovery from the birth. Rather than taking over care of your baby, they provide support within the home (think light meal preparation, nursery tidying & organization, baby laundry) and encourage bonding within the family. Empowerment in learning to care for your baby and find balance in your home and confidence in your parenting style is one of the biggest goals for a Postpartum Doula. A Postpartum Doula can care for your baby while you rest, or provide support with middle of the night feeds - whichever a family chooses. While longer contracts of 6 months are available, it’s not uncommon to work with a PP Doula for 2-4 months before transitioning to a nanny or daycare.

Both Doulas and NCS are in HIGH DEMAND right now and they often book up 6 months in advance! So if you’re considering hiring help post-birth, we highly recommend reaching out TODAY to get started.

The team of DDT Postpartum Doulas & Newborn Care Specialists are professionally trained to not only care for your baby but to also care for you. This well-rounded approach to postpartum and newborn care includes being well-versed in the various transitions you may encounter after your birth including physical recovery from a vaginal birth or cesarean, emotional challenges (due to baby blues, hormone fluctuations, postpartum depression or anxiety), dealing with societal and family pressures, setting comfortable boundaries, and the shifts in romantic and platonic relationships that a new baby can bring. And yes, we do also encourage lots of sleep for new parents and proper postpartum nourishment!

Bottom Line: As Newborn Care Specialists and Postpartum Doulas, our team seeks to meet you where you are at each day and each night. Our focus is on your entire family, but also on the unique individuals within that family. 

You will find peace of mind and comfort during your postpartum with the care of our doulas and specialists. You are important to us. Your baby is important to us. Your family is important to us. We are confident that this will ring true each time we show up at your door. 

We look forward to hearing from you and providing you with exceptional, well-rounded, unbiased support through this truly special time in your lives!