A newborn specialist provides expert care for newborn babies as well as parenting advice. A newborn specialist will stay at the home of newborns for one to three months and provide a variety of services to the parents in order to ease the transition of bringing a new baby or babies into the household. For those in the field, the Newborn Care Specialist Association (NCSA) provides courses and certification. The newborn specialist’s goal is to help parents become self-sufficient in caring for their newborn.
A qualified newborn specialist, an expert in newborn healthcare, should be able to provide physical assistance in caring for the baby as well as advice on newborn care and development. He or she helps with feeding, diaper changing, bathing, and putting the baby to sleep for up to three months. A qualified newborn specialist should be well-versed in both child development and infant feeding techniques and nutrition. He or she should also be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is the life-saving procedure used in the event of a cardiac arrest. The services of a newborn specialist can be especially beneficial to new parents or parents with multiple births, premature or special needs infants.
A newborn care specialist’s responsibilities include monitoring an infant’s feeding schedule, and many stay overnight to feed an infant’s bottle or bring the infant to its mother if she is breastfeeding. The newborn specialist’s job also includes keeping track of feedings, infant sleep patterns, and diaper changes. A major job responsibility is to educate parents, for example, on swaddling techniques that make the infant more comfortable at bedtime. Newborn specialists can also help with light housework, laundry, and cooking.
The Newborn Care Specialist Association’s mission is to uphold professional standards. Through approved schools, the association provides access to training and continuing education courses. Those who pass a 200-question certification test that includes multiple choice, matching, and true or false questions can earn NCSA certification. Finding a newborn care specialist who is certified by the NCSA is a good way to ensure that they are properly trained.
The newborn care specialist will stay with a family for up to three months, but the goal is to teach parents how to care for their baby or babies on their own. This is accomplished by taking meticulous notes and establishing a routine that is beneficial to both parents and babies. Infants should be sleeping through the night and eating on a regular schedule by the end of three months.