What does a night nurse do for a newborn?
One night,
hour by hour.
A night nurse looks after your newborn overnight so you can sleep. Here is what that actually looks like, from the knock at the door to the morning report.
- 10:00pm
Arrival and handoff
You walk your nurse through the day: the last feed, diapers, and anything that seemed different. Then you go to bed.
- 10:30pm
The first feed
A bottle, or your nurse brings the baby to you to nurse, then takes over burping, changing and settling so you can go straight back to sleep.
- 11:15pm
Back to sleep, safely
On their back, on a firm flat surface, in their own sleep space, with nothing loose in the crib. Every time.
- 1:00am
Diaper, feed, settle
Most newborns wake every two to three hours. Your nurse handles each waking and writes down the time, the amount and the diaper.
- 2:14am
The quiet part
The baby is fed and settled. You are asleep. This is the hour most new parents have not seen from a bed in weeks.
- 4:00am
The last night feed
Another feed and settle. If you are pumping, your nurse can bring you the pump and take care of the rest.
- 5:30am
Bottles and pump parts
Washed, dried and ready for the day, so the morning does not start with a sink full of bottles.
- 6:00am
The morning report
How many feeds and how much, how long the baby slept, diapers, and anything worth mentioning to your pediatrician.
When would a night nurse wake you?
You decide this together before the first night. Common reasons: you are breastfeeding and want to nurse at each feed, or something about the baby seems off and you would want to know. In an emergency, your nurse calls 911 and wakes you.
What a night nurse does not do
A night nurse provides newborn care, not medical treatment, and does not replace your pediatrician. They never give a baby medication to help them sleep. For medical questions, call your baby's doctor.
Sleep through the 2:14.
Tell us your nights and we will send you a shortlist of licensed night nurses.