If you’re reading this, you’re probably exhausted–or preparing to be. That’s where a night doula, or an overnight postpartum doula, comes in handy.
Night doulas are trained to help support the mother and baby–or babies–right after delivery and into the first year of life. They help with overnight newborn care, sleeping, breastfeeding, physical and emotional support for the parents, and setting up systems.
Many people interchange the term night doula with night nanny and newborn care specialist. But all of these couldn’t be more different. To sum it up quickly, night nannies typically care for children of all ages and have no specific training. And newborn care specialists solely focus on
caring for newborns, with little support to the parents. In this case, we’re talking about a night doula.
Sound like what you’re after? Let’s get the process going with critical questions you should ask when hiring a night doula–some quality zzzs are in your near future!
1. Do you offer free consultations?
First things first: being able to sit down with a night doula to gauge a sense of trust is vital. This is your precious baby we’re talking about–trust is huge. Connecting personally with your night doula is the ultimate goal. That way, you can feel confident about your choice. Psst… free consultations are the perfect way to do that!
“I am one who goes on instinct. I hired my own doulas based on the gut feeling after the interview,” says Kristin Revere, MM, CED, NCS, a certified birth, postpartum, and infant care doula and founder of Gold Coast Doulas in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That’s why Gold Coast Doulas offers free consultations to families looking for their perfect doula match. If you have a co-parent, don’t forget to include them in your consultation, too. Everyone should feel certain and positive about their choice. If you need more help, Kristin explains more about how to assemble your dream team of postpartum support in her book Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby.
2. Are your night doulas trained on current AAP safe sleep guidelines?
A night doula’s job is centered around baby sleep. It only makes sense for your doula to be trained on current American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep practices. “Your baby should sleep on their back on a flat surface. Period. No blankets, stuffed animals, bumpers, or other loose objects in the sleeping area,” says Kristin.
This practice alone helps prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is the leading cause of injury loss in infancy. Every single team member at Gold Coast Doulas is trained on these safe sleep guidelines and uses them for each service. If there are any changes to the AAP’s guideline recommendations, our team is trained and immediately puts them into practice. It’s incredibly important that the doula team you ultimately choose uses this method, too.
3. How do night feedings work?
This is a very common question. And for us, the answer is simple: we support any feeding decision you choose. If you’re breastfeeding, we can support you by bringing baby to you, helping with different feeding positions, and giving latching advice. Once baby is done feeding, we put them back down to sleep. Newborns eat 8 to 12 times a day–feeding is a huge part of a new parent’s routine, and having extra support like this is invaluable. You can find an entire
chapter on feeding tips in Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby.
If you’re bottle feeding, you shouldn’t need to wake at all. Your night doula can feed baby throughout the night while you get a good night’s rest. That’s how our team at Gold Coast Doulas handles night feedings, and many other night doulas practice the same way. Just be sure to ask this question during your consultation so you know what the exact process will look like.
4. Do your night doulas go through background checks?
Nothing entirely removes the uneasiness of someone new watching your baby while you sleep. But background checks can help make that feeling a bit better. Please don’t feel pushy for asking about one. Think about it like this–a new person will be in your home, taking care of your baby, and will have access to all your personal items. You really should be mindful of who’s allowed inside.
Background checks can tell us about a night doula’s identity, criminal history, employment history, education, credit history, and driving record. Doula services that dig into important insights like these really help parents feel better and add an additional layer of trust. This is a big deal and should be treated as such!
5. Do you take health insurance?
Unfortunately, most doulas will respond with a “no”–and not because we don’t want to. Generally, health insurance doesn’t cover doula services. But there’s no harm in asking since more companies are beginning to see the benefits of this specialized care.
Here’s a tip: before you give up hope, check in with your employer to see if they offer benefit programs such as Carrot Fertility, Maven, or Progyny. Many doula services accept these (including ours!), creating a nice detour around frustrating insurance roadblocks. Also, don’t forget to use your HSA or FSA if you have one. You can find more advice on how to pay for doula support, including different programs to look into, inside Kristin’s new book.
The bottom line? You should ask every pressing question that comes to mind before deciding on a night doula for your family. These five questions are only the beginning. If you’re looking for more support and advice on navigating postpartum, grab a copy of Kristin’s book, Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby. It’s written by moms, for moms. You’ll get expert tips on building a support team, budgeting, infant feeding, sleeping, and all the prenatal and
postpartum goodies.
Kristin Revere, MM, CED, NCS, is a certified birth, postpartum, and infant care doula and the founder of Gold Coast Doulas in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is also the co-host of Ask the Doulas Podcast and co-author of Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby.
