Bringing a child home from the hospital can be an overwhelming experience. Baby nurses are nurses who help parents take care of their newborn babies. A nurse at home helps the mother in many ways ranging from breastfeeding and bathing to establishing healthy sleeping patterns. The education and guidance of a baby nurse provide comfort, enrichment, and answers to parents willing to pay for the service.
Ensures Safety
It is important for a baby nurse to take extreme care and precautions with a newborn baby. This includes ensuring the baby is safe in a crib, on a changing table, is attended to in an infant seat or cradle, and is fastened correctly in the car. The nurse must also be aware of the safety recommendations, such as keeping loose blankets out of the crib. The baby care nurse is also responsible for educating parents and family members on safe infant-care practices.
Feeding and Bathing
Some baby nurses are hired for long-hour shifts, while others simply for a few hours a day. For example, a mother with one or two other children may need help bottle feeding and bathing the newborn in the mornings while getting her elder children off to school. A baby nurse feeds the baby, prepares bottles, and cleans and sterilizes the next feeding. While bathing a newborn, a baby nurse uses the proper bathing products, cleans the umbilical cord, gently takes care of circumcision, etc.
Ensures Better Sleep
Infants need assistance to promote healthy sleep habits. A baby nurse monitors and maintains a journal when the baby naturally wakes and sleeps and then teaches the parents regarding napping and feeding schedules. Also, mothers of infants are almost always sleep constrained due to changing hormones and sleep botherations related to the baby’s needs. If hired overnight, a baby nurse takes the responsibility of sleeping near the baby to hear the baby cry and feed, make the baby burp, change the diaper, and get the baby to sleep back without disturbing the mother.
Changes Dresses and Diapers
Due to a baby’s irregular temperature patterns, the baby needs to be appropriately dressed. The nurse ensures the baby is swaddled comfortably and dressed appropriately for the weather. In addition to this, a baby nurse also changes the baby’s diaper efficiently and tends to any diaper rashes or skin conditions.
Keeps the surroundings clean and hygienic
A nurse at home for baby care needs specific things in place to keep the baby well-cared for. Her responsibility is to keep the nursery tidy, re-stock diapers, and clean equipment such as bottles, sterilizers, and breathing apparatus that the baby uses. In addition, a baby nurse also changes linens, empties the diaper pail, and launders the baby’s clothing and bedding.
Types of Nurses for Babies and Children
There are many types of nurses, each with a unique role or area of expertise. Nurses are classified by a variety of factors, including:
- their medical specialty
- their level of education
- the type of facility they work in
- the communities they work with
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Pediatric registered nurse:
These nurses work in the pediatric branch of hospitals or pediatricians’ clinics. They care for newborn babies, children, and adolescents with various medical needs.
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NICU nurse:
These nurses work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a hospital. They help newborns and premature babies.
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Labor and delivery nurse:
These nurses work with new mothers throughout their delivery process. They perform many essential tasks, including administering epidurals, identifying and timing contractions, and showing new mothers how to do everything from feeding a baby to changing diapers.
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PICU nurse:
These nurses work in the pediatric intensive care unit caring for babies, children, and teens with various severe medical conditions. They track vital signs, administer medicines, and support ill children and their families.
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Perinatal nurses:
They are specially trained nurses who work with women through pregnancy, birth, and the first months of their newborn’s lives. They focus on facilitating healthy pregnancies and helping new families.
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Lactation consultant:
Lactation consultants are nurses who educate and train new mothers breastfeeding techniques. They also help them overcome issues, such as poor latching or pain, that make breastfeeding difficult.
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Neonatal nurse:
These nurses work with newborns during their first weeks of birth.
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Developmental disability nurse:
Developmental disability nurses assist children and adults with disabilities, such as autism or down syndrome. Some provide nurse service at home, while others work in schools or other settings.
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Certified nurse-midwife:
They provide prenatal care to pregnant women. They assist the mother in the delivery process and provide care for newborn babies.
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Pediatric endocrinology nurse:
These nurses help children with various endocrine disorders, including thyroid and diabetes. They often work with children with delayed physical and mental development.
