Your baby is here and now begins the journey of learning how to take care of them. If you’ve decided to hire a newborn care specialist (NCS) to work alongside you in your home during the first few weeks and months of your baby’s life with you, you might be wondering what to expect.
Here, we’ll cover some key details about the first week particularly, which will help you feel better prepared and ready to make the most of the experience.
The First Week
Establishing Clear Communication
The first day with your NCS is about learning the ins and outs of your home, your routines, and most importantly, getting acquainted with your new bundle of joy. Your NCS will take the time to go over your baby’s birth and health details, feeding preferences and schedule, and other important medical notes.
You will be able to show them around your home and the nursery, discuss your routines, sign a work agreement with wage and duty details, and explain your parenting style or philosophy. You should also give your NCS some time to hold the baby and get familiar with their temperament, patterns, and cues.
On the first day, it’s really about getting your employee familiar with their new role rather than expecting them to completely take over immediately. Clear communication from day one should be your first priority.
Feeding Support
Whether you’re breastfeeding, formula feeding with a bottle, or doing a combination of both, feeding is one of the most time-intensive and important focuses of newborn care.
Your NCS can usually help you with preparing and sterilizing bottles, tracking feeding schedules, recognizing hunger cues, and assisting with latching and positioning for breastfeeding parents.
When you are resting, your NCS may also be able to assist with bottle-feeding or waking you to breastfeed.
Creating a Routine
Each home, each family, and each baby is different. Experienced newborn care specialists understand this, and they are adept in adjusting as needed. No two babies have an exact same pattern or routine.
That’s why you and your NCS will need to work closely together during that first week to establish a routine that works. That might mean having the NCS take over with some baby laundry or cleaning bottles at the beginning of their shift, then settling into more direct newborn care after that.
Or, it could be opposite of that – you might want them to jump right in with helping soothe or feed the baby so you can get some rest or get caught up with some things around the house. This is where communication is crucial. Outlining your expectations will create a calmer environment and also help avoid confusion or frustration at an already potentially tiring or stressful time.
Monitoring Baby’s Health
After bringing baby home from the hospital, there are some important health and development milestones that need to be watched for.
For example, your doctor might want you to track feeding amounts and frequency, write down how many diapers your baby goes through in a 24-hour period, and how often they’re sleeping.
Your NCS can help stay on top of that daily log during the first week, so when you and your pediatrician meet, you have accurate and thorough information to show them.
Emotional Support
Becoming a parent is an incredibly exciting time, but it also brings a wide swing of emotions that can be exhausting. The postpartum period can be especially intense for the parent who gave birth, but it can also be tiring for siblings and spouses in the home.
This is where your NCS can help provide reassurance and a sense of calm during moments of uncertainty. Nonjudgemental support and the ability to provide practical solutions to the challenges that happen during that first week can be an invaluable way to make things easier at times when newborn care feels overwhelming.
That first week of working with your newborn care specialist is a time to establish a partnership. From feeding help to sleep guidance, to simply being a listening ear, a compassionate NCS can bring a calming, peaceful presence to your home.
Ultimately, your NCS can help transform those early days from exhausting to enjoyable.
