What is the Difference Between a Postpartum Doula and A Baby Nurse?

Postpartum

Aug 8

While preparing to welcome your new baby into your family is an exciting time, it can also be quite overwhelming. That’s why many families plan ahead by enlisting the help of a postpartum doula or a newborn care specialist, the latter commonly referred to as a “baby nurse”. When researching these terms, it can quickly become confusing. While both roles provide essential help, they serve different purposes and knowing the difference can help you choose the best fit for your family’s needs.

What is a Postpartum Doula?

A postpartum doula is a trained professional who offers emotional, physical, and information support to the entire family, especially the mother or birthing parent, during the first few weeks or months after childbirth. Their primary focus is the well-being of the parent, the baby, and the household. From emotional support and newborn care to light housekeeping and breastfeeding assistance, postpartum doulas help ease the transition into life with a newborn. Families often hire postpartum doulas during pregnancy, but they can also be brought in after birth. Many doulas offer daytime or overnight doula support, and families may work with them for just a few weeks or several months.

Baby Caravan postpartum doula Margot Simmons adds, “The postpartum doula takes a multidisciplinary approach to assisting a family during the newborn period. [They are] a coach, a counselor, a friend, a teacher and a cheerleader depending on the needs of the parent at any given moment. Postpartum doulas are inherently problem solvers and listen to the needs of the family and troubleshoot as things arise from a physical and emotional standpoint.”

Postpartum doulas are a source of both emotional reassurance and practical help. They provide evidenced based information and may support in areas including:

Feeding support: breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and pumping
Emotional support and physical birth recovery guidance
Infant care education and soothing techniques
Light meal and snack prep
Baby laundry and household tidying
Overnight care to help parents get more rest
Sibling care and pet care
Referrals to local support groups and resources
Screening for perinatal mood disorders (e.g. postpartum depression)
Help setting and reaching your parenting goals

Many certified postpartum doulas also have lactation training (like CLC, CBC, or IBCLC credentials), making them an ideal support for parents navigating early feeding challenges.

What is a Newborn Care Specialist?

A newborn care specialist, sometimes called a “baby nurse”* a professional who focuses exclusively on caring for the baby. Their role centers on infant sleep, feeding routines, and basic care, helping parents get more rest during the early weeks. While the term “baby nurse” is commonly used, it’s important to note that most newborn care specialists are not licensed nurses unless they hold a registered nursing degree. Newborn care specialists often live in the home temporarily or offer overnight newborn care, depending on your needs.

General responsibilities of NCSs include:

General newborn care
Infant feeding (including bottle feeding and night feedings)
Bathing, diapering, and swaddling
Sleep training and schedule development
Identifying signs of colic, reflux, or jaundice
Sterilizing bottles and baby gear
Organizing the nursery

This can be very helpful for parents with medical needs or for those who need to return to work fairly quickly.

Which is Right for Me?

Choosing between a postpartum doula and a newborn care specialist depends on the type of support you’re looking for.

A postpartum doula is ideal if you want care for your whole family including support with feeding, healing, household tasks, and parenting guidance. If you're looking for night doula support, many postpartum doulas also offer overnight shifts to help you rest and recover while also helping you to establish a sustainable routine so you feel confident as parents once your time with your doula has come to an end.

A newborn care specialist may be the right choice if your main goal is focused, hands-on baby care and establishing feeding and sleep routines after the first couple of weeks postpartum.

For clients who plan to breastfeed, Margot suggests families invest in hiring a newborn care specialist when, “your baby is 3-4 weeks of age. At that point you’ve had 3-4 weeks to establish breastfeeding, and have had the opportunity to really get to know your baby. Also at this time you can certainly benefit from the overnight help and ability to sleep while the baby is cared for.” However, a postpartum doula with additional lactation credentials (like a CLC, CBC, or IBCLC) could be a great choice for those first 4-6 weeks when you’re establishing your milk supply and a feeding schedule.

Final Thoughts

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to newborn support. Whether you choose a certified daytime postpartum doula, overnight doula, or a newborn care specialist, what matters most is that you feel supported, confident, and cared for as you transition into this new chapter.

If you’re looking for experienced, compassionate postpartum doulas in NYC, Baby Caravan offers a free, personalized matching service to connect you with the right doula for your family’s needs.

*A note to clarify: while you will hear the terms “baby nurse” and “newborn care specialist” used interchangeably, especially in New York City, it’s advised that “baby nurse” should only refer to an individual who is an RN or LPN. We place “baby nurse” in parentheses to help avoid confusion for those who are used to seeing that term refer to what newborn care specialist do. Because there are no regulations placed on this profession, many individuals refer to themselves as “baby nurses” regardless of whether or not they were medically trained.