Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Newborn Care Specialist?
A Newborn Care Specialist (formally known as "baby nurse”) is someone who is trained and skilled in newborn care. Newborn Care Specialists come to your home and tend to your baby's needs during the first few months of life. Her job is to nurture and care for the newborn baby, while offering expert guidance and support to the parents.
What is the process of hiring a Newborn Care Specialist through baby bloom?
You’ve got enough on your plate, let’s make this part easy. Here’s what happens next:
Schedule your 15-minute complimentary phone consultation. During this consultation, we’ll discuss your criteria and begin developing a plan with everything you need to bloom into your role as a parent. Whether your priorities are getting adequate rest, implementing infant sleep training, or planning to breastfeed exclusively — we’ll help you reach your goals.
We’ll find your perfect match. Our placement team will hand-select a Newborn Care Specialist that best fits your personalized criteria.
We’ll send you an email with a link to your Client Portal. This is where you’ll be able to review and sign our contract, pay your invoice, and view any pertinent information about your upcoming services.
A virtual meet and greet will be coordinated between your family and your hand-selected Newborn Care Specialist (this can be done via phone or Zoom). This will give you the chance to discuss your plan further when the baby comes.
Your specialist will be there when you need her most and get right to work. This is your time to recover, get your sleep, and enjoy life (even with a newborn).
What does overnight care include?
Your Newborn Care Specialist will arrive at your home between 8-10 pm and stay overnight. We have a minimum of 8 hour shifts per night. She will take over complete care of the newborn at night to provide parents time to sleep. During her shift, she will handle:
Diapering
Changing
Bathing (first sponge bath, then regular bath)
Soothing
Circumcision & umbilical cord care
Bottle preparation & storage
Bottle feeding (breastmilk & fFormula)
Communication with breastfeeding parent to schedule feeds and transport baby back and forth to and from (when feeding overnight)
Wash and sterilize bottles, pump parts, pacifiers, etc.
Organization & maintenance of nursery
Baby's laundry (washing, folding, and putting away)
Creating a regular feeding schedule
Assisting in establishing healthy sleep habits
Maintaining a log that tracks the baby's feeding times, ounces, diapers, and anything else parents may need to know.
Creating a smooth transition for the family during the newborn stage (birth-3 months)
Assisting you with any (baseline) feeding issues baby may have, including formula feeding and breastfeeding support or knowing when to recommend pediatrician or IBCLC support for extensive issues.
Troubleshooting potential issues of concern with the newborn and offering professional options to resolve them
Infant CPR (when needed)
Providing a safe and healthy sleep environment for baby at all times
Sleep Conditioning by using a gentle approach to help your baby develop sleep habits that lead to sleeping throughout the night
Parent education and emotional support
If your baby needs it, your specialist is here to help.
We do not offer medical advice or diagnosis.
What do I need to provide for Overnight Care?
We kindly ask that you provide a bathroom and room with access to a chair or bed. It is also acceptable for your Newborn Care Specialist to stay in your baby’s nursery.
When should I hire an Newborn care specialist and for how long?
Newborn Care Specialists work 8-12 hour shifts and are typically hired to provide care 5-7 days/nights per week. Terms vary in length between 2 weeks and 6 months; on average, families hire a Newborn Care Specialist for approximately 12 weeks (or until their baby is successfully sleeping through the night).
Baby Bloom recommends booking your Newborn Care Specialist 2-3 months prior to your due date (or as early as possible) as highly experienced candidates book up quickly!
Overnight feedings: How does that work?
Regardless of if you have decided to nurse, pump, or formula feed, you can expect us to support whatever that choice may be.
For breastfeeding babies:
If you plan to pump: We will bottlefeed your baby throughout the night and allow you to rest. You can wake up to pump, then place your milk outside your bedroom and we will store it or use it to feed the baby. You can go right back to sleep while we handle the rest — we’ll get baby changed, swaddled, and put back to sleep!
If you plan to nurse: When your baby wakes up, your Newborn Care Specialist will change your baby’s diaper and transfer her to you (no need to move). While your baby is nursing, your Newborn Care Specialist can offer lactation support, fix you a fresh glass of water, and tidy up the nursery. As your nursing session ends, you can send her a quick text, and your Newborn Care Specialist will transfer your baby back to her nursery and begin her bedtime routine. At this point… you might be fast asleep!
For formula-fed babies:If you plan to use formula: Preparation is key to a formula-fed baby. If you want your little one to eat every 2 to 3 hours, or on-demand, we will make sure to have their next bottle prepped and ready for them. We clean and sterilize all bottles and parts throughout the night, and we can even prep your formula bottles for the next day.
What do I need to provide for 24-hour care?
During 24-hour care, we ask that you provide food and beverage to your Newborn Care Specialist during each shift. Your Newborn Care Specialist will work 20 hours each day, with 4 hours off the clock. This time is used to eat, shower, and take care of personal tasks. We also ask for a guaranteed private bedroom and bathroom and accessible Wifi.
Do your newborn care specialists have background checks?
Absolutely! Baby Bloom conducts an extensive screening process on each applicant. Our mandatory requirements are:
Interview with Tyler Grimes, Founder & CEO
SSN check
Background Check
Training and Certifications
Experience with newborns and new mothers
References
CPR/AED/First-Aid
Immunizations/COVID-19 Vaccine
Mother partnership style & work style
can I purchase a gift certificate for a loved one?
Yes, you can purchase a digital gift card by clicking the button below.
Can I add your services to my baby registry?
Yes. Click the link below for an easy way to add Newborn Care Services to your Babylist Registry.
Do you accept FSA/HSA cards or checks?
Yes, we are an approved vendor and classified as 8050 MCC.
Do you Provide military discounts?
Yes. We offer a 5% discount to our military families.
What is the 5% fund?
The 5% Fund is our way of giving back to our community by assisting mothers who need our support, but can not afford to pay for our services in full.
To qualify for The 5% Fund you must make $50,000 per year or less and show proof of income. You can then choose from the sliding scale what your family can afford to pay for services, The 5% Fund will cover the rest **if funds are available**. If funds are not available, we can discuss options to help you get the care your family needs.
