Night Nannies, Newborn Care Specialists, and Postpartum Doulas, Oh My?!?

By Jen Chandlee | June 14, 2022

New families have so many options for postpartum support these days, which is a wonderful thing AND a bit confusing. We’re going to help clarify the most common types of providers, and the differences between postpartum doulas, night nurses, night nannies, and newborn care specialists. Let’s dive in…

Night Nurses:

  • Focus primarily on overnight care of the infant so that parent(s) can sleep.
  • May or may not have formal training
  • They are not actually nurses, so using “nurse” in this way is actually illegal in many places, therefore the term is falling out of favor.

Night Nannies:

  • Primarily focus on overnight care of the infant so parent(s) can sleep.
  • May or may not have formal training.
  • This term is replacing Night Nurse in most places.

Newborn or Infant Care Specialists:

  • Provide care primarily to the newborn or infant, with some general baby care advice and instruction for parents.
  • Can provide care day or night depending on the services offered by individual nannies, with a rapidly growing trend into overnight baby care.
  • Usually has some type of training and/or certification.

Postpartum Doulas:

  • Provide care to the whole family, not just babies.
  • Usually have training and/or certification. 
  • Assist with post-birth comfort and recovery measures.
  • Work with both birthing and adoptive families.
  • Provide education and resources around infant care, feeding, and development.
  • Keep an eye out for perinatal mood and anxiety challenges.
  • Support parents with adjusting to life after baby.
  • Help manage visitors and communications.
  • Help with household efficiency, tidying up, and food prep.
  • Can provide care day or night, depending on the services offered by individual doulas. 

As you can see, there are a lot of great options for support in the postpartum time. In general, postpartum doulas offer a broader set of skills and knowledge focused on the whole family, and night nannies and infant care specialists home in as experts focused on newborn care. Some families prefer and are able to hire both, and the professions can be very complimentary.

In the end, we want new families to get all the support they need and want, from whoever they can!