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Baby Nurses and Doulas

There are two types of doulas. A birth doula and a post-partum doula.

  1. A birth doula supports, comforts and assists the mother during the birthing process.
  2. Post-partum doulas and baby nurses provide postpartum care to both mother and baby. Their responsibilities include care for the newborn, parenting advice and guidance in the care of the newborn, breastfeeding support and advice, cooking, errands, and light housecleaning.
There is an increasing trend among parents, particularly parents of multiples, medically-fragile babies or parents without family support, to hire a baby nurse or doula postpartum.

Baby nurses and doulas differ in their levels of education and training. Baby nurses hold either a Licensed Vocation Nurse degree (LVN) with 1-2 years training and work in the field of obstetrics, including post-partum care and the newborn nursery or a Registered Nurse (RN) degree with 2-4 years training and work including postpartum care, high-risk ante partum care, well-baby nursery, transitional care nursery (TCN) and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A Post-partum Doula may have considerable experience with newborns but no formal education/training. Some have received training under the guidelines of organizations, such as Doulas of North America (DONA). A Baby Nurse and Post-partum doula’s work experience has greater importance than the level of her degree.

Baby nurses and post-partum doulas may differ in the scope of the services they provide. Baby Nurses tend to focus on the needs of the newborn while supporting the mother in the care of her newborn. Post-partum doulas tend to provide support to both newborn and mother while assisting the mother in managing household responsibilities.

Average costs for a baby nurse or post-partum doula is $25-35/hour. There are a variety of scheduling possibilities.

  1. An around-the-clock 24-hour schedule (sleeping when the baby sleeps)
  2. A flexible schedule with a minimum number of 4-6 hours per day
  3. Nights-only, typically from 10 p.m.-7 a.m.
Some will work 7 days per week on a flexible schedule, while others limit the number of days worked weekly.

Some doulas and baby nurses have had extensive care for multiples, pre-mature and medically-fragile babies. If your child has any of these conditions, be certain you check a doula or baby nurse’s credentials and references closely. Some doulas lack the specialized training/experience necessary to care for these babies.

Alyce Desrosiers, LCSW is available to assist you in creating a post-partum arrangement that fits you and your family! She can be reached at 415-331-NANI.