Overnight Postpartum Doula and Newborn Care
Being a mother of three, I know from many years of personal and professional experience that the evening and overnight hours can be quite challenging with a newborn baby (or babies). Especially while recovering from the birth process.
In reality - new parents need guidance, support, and sleep! Overnight postpartum support can decrease the negative effects of new parent sleep deprivation. Recover from birth, and rest easy knowing that your family is in good hands. Nicole has 20+ years of experience caring for newborns, and Northern Star Doulas are all about ensuring that you’re nurtured and cared for in the ways that you need.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
We help to make sure that things are running smoothly, post-birth. Overnight postpartum care can make your nightly routine a more pleasurable one! Together, we will come up with a sleeping/feeding arrangement that works for the entire family. This will lead to a more gentle transition period for all involved - and more sleep!
The presence of a night doula can provide a nurturing atmosphere in which everyone can gently and confidently integrate into the new family dynamic. Establish a rhythm that sets your family up for long-term stability.
If you’re breastfeeding - you can sleep in whatever arrangement you prefer, and either have baby brought to you for nursing sessions throughout the night, or have baby sleep next to you, with assistance in learning how to navigate this arrangement with diaper changes and feedings.
If you choose to bottle-feed, I would assume as much responsibility for nightly infant care and feeding as preferable.
In the case of combination feeding, I would support you by helping you create a plan for alternating feeds. This includes feeding either pumped milk or formula, proper milk storage and cleaning/sterilization of bottles and pump parts so they are ready for your use.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Guidance through emotional/physical birth recovery and adjustment
Newborn feeding, changing and soothing
Twins and multiples
Newborn sleep patterns
Formula/Combination-feeding
Silent Reflux/GERD/Colic
Postpartum depression, anxiety and other mood disorders
Lactation support, referrals and education
Light tidying and laundry
Community referrals
The support a postpartum doula provides can have a lasting and important impact on the family. Postpartum support provides families with increased confidence in their new roles, a greater satisfaction in the feeding experience, and fewer incidences of postpartum depression.
Example: Welcome Home Package
You want to make sure that things are running smoothly, post-birth. Overnight postpartum care can make your nightly routine a more peaceful one! Together, we will come up with a sleeping/feeding arrangement that works for the entire family.
This will lead to a more gentle transition period for all involved - and more sleep!
Six weeknight shifts once your little one(s) has/have arrived. (48 hours total)
2-night minimum weekly (the package spanning 2-3 weeks)
Sunday - Thursday
9pm - 5am (the crucial “sleep deprivation” hours)
Would you like for your family to help you pay for the basic postpartum overnight “Welcome Home” package, so that you can get off to a good start? Check out Be Her Village and set up your postpartum support registry today! We also accept HSA/FSA.
We have several package to suit your family’s unique needs. We will provide a full proposal upon completion of the discovery call.
We provide discreet overnight postpartum and newborn care for high-profile families in NJ, NY, DE, PA, and MD.
See what families are saying…
Nicole and her team were pivotal in our experience through physically and psychologically recovering from our unexpected emergency cesarean, in which all of our hopes and dreams for our birth were pulled right out form under our feet and things became really dark and bleak. I am able to talk about my birth experience without bursting into tears, now that I (and my family) have been enveloped in such love and kindness and grace by the Northern Star Doulas. It hurts me to think of what things might have been like for us had we not been urged by a friend who also used Nicole for her postpartum. I wasn’t sold on the idea of having a stranger come into my home overnight, but after hearing about how Nicole had helped my dear friend through sleep deprivation, breastfeeding trouble, tear-filled nights, and midnight chaos, I figured that I should at the very least schedule a call and see where that lead because that was exactly what was going on in this house. When I reached out, she said she didn’t have open availability but I think she heard the desperation in my voice and by the end of the call, was ensuring me that we could make something work. Nicole came the next night. Ironically, me and my friend spoke about doulas a while back and kind of judged and made fun of the prospect, laughing it off as if there was no way we’d spend money on such a frivolous “service.” Well, now I’m a little sad that I didn’t do more looking into it, because these women were exactly what I needed by my side for my labor which went totally sideways due to my lack of knowledge about inductions. The what-ifs are hard to think about sometimes. If you are considering using a postpartum doula, please, don’t be like me and wait until you are in crisis. My parents are older, and live pretty far from us, my husband’s parents are gone, and we didn’t have any family that could help us. I cannot express enough, the gratitude that I have for these women that showed up and loved me so deeply that I was able to begin on the path of healing. I am ok now. That feels good to say. I am more than ok. I am whole.
-Amanda T. Gladwyne, PA
Nicole was an amazing postpartum doula for my fraternal twin boys. She worked with our family for 6 months. From the first time we met Nicole, we knew she was going to be a great fit for our family. She has a very caring, calming personality and is extremely knowledgeable about infant sleep patterns and needs. We completely trusted her to take care of our boys from day one. Nicole was a great support for me as a new mom. Nicole understands the challenges of new motherhood, especially related to sleep. Our twins were born 2 months early and spent time in the NICU. When Nicole started working with us, our boys were still waking to eat 3 or 4 times per night. Now at 8.5 months old, our boys are sleeping 11 hours straight with no overnight feeds. Nicole provided amazing guidance in helping us to drop overnight feeds. She was always available via text to discuss daily schedules of feedings and naps. It was important for us to find a postpartum doula with twin experience. Fraternal twins come with their own set of challenges, and Nicole was great about catering to the needs of both of our boys. I would recommend Nicole in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a postpartum doula, but I would especially recommend her for parents of multiples. We are going to miss Nicole, because she was a big part of our lives for the past 6 months.
-Rachel K. Southampton PA
Following the birth or our son, Nicole provided overnight postpartum services to our family. She was everything you could ever want in a doula: warm, knowledgeable about newborn care, reliable, and communicative. She has great intuition when it comes to postpartum care and often anticipates what you want before you are able to articulate your thoughts. Don’t hesitate to hire Nicole, she is simply the best!
Sheara Y. South Philadelphia
To put it simply, Nicole is an Angel. She and I connected from the moment we met and I knew she'd be the perfect fit for our family based on her gentle, easy going, loving nature. Nicole was so accomodating and very supportive of the way I was choosing to take care of myself and my baby postpartum. She cooked nutrious meals, helped get my older daughter ready for camp, did the dishes and laundry, organized whatever was needed....basically she did whatever I asked and made me feel comfortable doing so. As a woman and a mother it can feel awkard to ask for help and she continued to reassure me that was what she was there for! She not only supported me with household duties, but she really supported my mental well-being, too. She was able to offer her depth of knowledge on all things newborn whenever I had questions, which was incredibly helpful and gave me great peace of mind. Nicole is a friend. She was there for me after having the baby when it can typically be a very isolating, roller coaster of a time. She cheered me on through it all.
I am truly forever grateful for Nicole supporting our family in the sensitive time postpartum. Because of Nicole I was able to stay cocooned with my baby for 2 full weeks without having to worry about my household falling apart. Her help provided the safe space for my family to ease into our new normal with more grace then I ever imagined. I now advise all new mamas (whether it's your 1st or 4th) to budget for a postpartum Doula to support you in the much needed care after giving birth. Nicole is the BEST.doula.ever. Do yourself and your family a favor and bring her on board to support you, exactly as she did for me. :)
Marie F. Willow Grove, PA
My family and I are so grateful to have found Nicole. As first time parents of twins, we knew we needed the help. We wanted someone with experience and knowledge. We are so glad we found Nicole. She started off helping us with overnights and soon transitioned to day time until the girls were ~7months. She was all about helping our family in any way that she can. As a first time mom, I had many questions and doubted myself time to time. Since these were our first, we weren’t familiar with many things like swaddling, sleep etc. She taught my family a ton about taking care of newborns. I felt so much more confident as a mother thanks to her. She patiently listened, supported and provided feedback and recommendations when needed. We had our way of doing certain things. She was very respectful and mindful of our preferences and followed accordingly. I cannot say enough good things about Nicole. She is warm, compassionate, professional, punctual, knowledgeable, and positive. My entire family trusted her. We could rest easy knowing that she was there. She went above and beyond what we expected in a Doula. We are lucky to have found her and would highly recommend her to anyone!
Sphurthi A. Princeton, NJ
Nicole felt like a part of the family from the first moment we laid eyes on her. She met with my family ahead of time and we discussed what we were looking for (postpartum help), and went over everything that would entail. She was warm, considerate, and professional the entire time and we knew instantly that she would be a perfect fit for our family.
Lauren W. Bristol, PA
Referred to me by my birth doula, Nicole swooped in during a very hard time and saved the day. Initially, Nicole worked with us overnights caring for our premie twins. They were too small and immature to be able to breastfeed, so she would give them bottles and I could just focus on pumping and my husband could sleep. However, as time went on Nicole really became a mama mentor that I could rely on. She cheered me on during the four month struggle to get my premie twins to latch, switched her schedule around so she was primarily around in the morning to practice breastfeeding, and then again when we needed help for bedtime during an awful sleep regression. Nicole is caring, flexible, and knowledgable. It was a great relief to wake up and find clothes impeccably folded and bottles washed. It was really hard to make the decision to stop scheduling Nicole, but after 6 months, it was time to let our wonderful post partum doula move on to the next desperate family. My only regret... not hiring her sooner!
Laura H. Philadelphia, PA (Fishtown)
Nicole was amazing with my baby and me during our first few months together. I was exhausted after having my third baby and two older children, and Nicole helped me during the nights so I could recover from birth and get some sleep. She was very supportive and helpful to me during the postpartum period. I recommend Nicole wholeheartedly!
Jill R. Narberth, PA