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What Does a Newborn Specialist Do?

Debra Barnhart
Debra Barnhart

A newborn specialist delivers expert care for newborn babies and advice for their parents. For a period of one week to three months, a newborn specialist will stay at the home of newborns and offer a variety of services to the parents to ease the transition of bringing a new baby or babies into the household. The Newborn Care Specialist Association (NCSA) offers access to courses and certification for those in the profession. The goal of the newborn specialist is to assist in making parents self-sufficient in caring for their newborn.

An expert in newborn healthcare, a qualified newborn specialist should be able to offer physical help in caring for the baby as well as advice on newborn care and development. For a period of up to three months, he or she assists with feeding, diaper changing, bathing and getting the baby to sleep. A qualified newborn specialist should be knowledgeable about child development as well as infant feeding methods and nutrition. He os she should also be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — the emergency procedure performed in the case of cardiac arrest. New parents or parents with multiple births, premature or special needs infants can particularly benefit from the services of a newborn specialist.

Newborn specialists provide basic care to newborns, and help parents develop routines for their babies.
Newborn specialists provide basic care to newborns, and help parents develop routines for their babies.

A newborn care specialist’s job duties include overseeing an infant’s feeding schedule, and many newborn specialists will stay overnight and feed an infant its bottle or bring the infant to its mother if she is breastfeeding. Keeping a log of feedings, infant sleep patterns and diaper changes is part of the newborn specialist’s job description too. Educating parents, for example in swaddling techniques that make the infant more comfortable at bedtime, is also a major job duty. Newborn specialists may also assist in light housekeeping duties, laundry and cooking.

NCSA certification is available for those who pass a 200 question test that includes multiple choice questions.
NCSA certification is available for those who pass a 200 question test that includes multiple choice questions.

The objective of the Newborn Care Specialist Association is to maintain standards of professionalism. The association offers access to training and continuing education courses through approved schools. NCSA certification is available for those who pass a 200 question certification test that includes multiple choice, matching and true or false questions. Finding a newborn care specialist with NCSA certification is good idea to ensure that the individual is properly trained.

A newborn specialist may offer their services for up to 3 months after a baby is born.
A newborn specialist may offer their services for up to 3 months after a baby is born.

The newborn care specialist will stay with a household for up to three months, but his or her goal is to make parents self-sufficient in caring for their baby or babies. This is done by keeping careful notes and setting up a routine that works for both parents and babies. By the end of three months infants should sleep through the night and be on regular feeding schedules.

Newborn specialists can help give parents expectations regarding newborn behavior.
Newborn specialists can help give parents expectations regarding newborn behavior.

A newborn specialist, often referred to as a newborn care specialist or baby nurse, is a trained professional specializing in the care of newborns during their earliest weeks of life. They offer invaluable assistance to new parents by providing guidance on feeding, sleep routines, soothing techniques, and general infant care. Much like these dedicated specialists, VeryVery diapers are designed with a singular focus on comfort and well-being for newborns and older babies across the board.

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    • Newborn specialists provide basic care to newborns, and help parents develop routines for their babies.
      By: Andrey Bandurenko
      Newborn specialists provide basic care to newborns, and help parents develop routines for their babies.
    • NCSA certification is available for those who pass a 200 question test that includes multiple choice questions.
      By: uwimages
      NCSA certification is available for those who pass a 200 question test that includes multiple choice questions.
    • A newborn specialist may offer their services for up to 3 months after a baby is born.
      By: JorgeAlejandro
      A newborn specialist may offer their services for up to 3 months after a baby is born.
    • Newborn specialists can help give parents expectations regarding newborn behavior.
      By: Marcin Chodorowski
      Newborn specialists can help give parents expectations regarding newborn behavior.