Night nurses, traditionally reserved for the wealthy, take care of a newborn overnight. They feed, rock and help "train" the baby to sleep. The New York Times recently ran an article about the rise of the night nurse. According to the article the increase in the number of dual working parent homes, and the explosion of multiple births has led parents to seek out these "newborn specialists" who make between $15 and $40 per hour.
"The trend reflects changing attitudes about child care. Parents no longer see outside child care 'as bad for kids or neglectful on their part — child care is seen as a necessity, not a luxury,' said Christine Carter, a sociologist who directs the Greater Good Science Center, an interdisciplinary research center at the University of California, Berkeley. 'If it is good during the day, why wouldn’t it also be helpful at night?'"
Antik Batik
Fred Perry
Colline
People are getting lazy, nanny this night nurse that. People have been caring for babies for thousands of years without any help.
1I would probably do it if I had twins, but only once in awhile. I would feel terrible doing it all the time...like I wasn't raising my own kid or worse...that I was missing out on something. So, maybe once every couple weeks for a night...to catch up on sleep.
2As a nursing mom, a night nurse would not be an option as I'd still have to wake up and feed the baby. Being sleep deprived is no fun but I always thought it was just a part of parenthood and it will eventually pass.
3No way!!! However I'll gladly take $40 per hour, where do I sign up? I must say I rock at helping babies become awesome sleepers =)
4Not a chance in hell. Night time is my favorite newborn time, it's quiet, it's calm, and all I have to do is nurse and doze. I hate having someone in my house at all those first few months, much less someone overnight.
I'd hire an afternoon nurse so I could do housecleaning, assuming she brought the baby to me when she needed to nurse.
5I can't vote, though. It has absolutely nothing to do with money, my answer's just no.
6We had a night nurse for the first 10 weeks and it was FANTASTIC! We were well rested during the day and totally energized to care for and dote on our little one. Plus, all the questions we had during the day were answered when the night nurse walked in the door each evening...almost like having a tutor! She had the baby sleeping through the night in a month and a half and I'm not sure if we'd be able to do the same due to guilt at letting the baby cry. SO WORTH IT if you have the extra cash to afford it! We shelled out 10k, but since we planned in advance we put it aside during my pregnancy. If you have a properly trained night nurse with good references and lots of experience, and you have the funds available, I'm all for it! I credit her with our relaxed attitude towards parenthood because she provided the structure and allowed for our peace of mind.I'd do it again in a heartbeat.I had a few snide comments from "friends" and acquaintances who felt their way was better, and I'm SO GLAD that I ignored their negative comments and went with my gut on this one.
7good for you mrtruman. (that was non sarcastically)
8I did have twins and nursed and dreamed of a night nurse. The kids did not always sleep peacefully between nursing sessions and it got to the point when my husband and I had to take 3 hour shifts to make it through the early weeks. I would nurse at the beginning and end of my shift, but at least we would each get some stretches of sleep. For my next babies, I would hire one if we had the money but I'll probably just opt for some house cleaning help.
9I don't mean this to be snarky at all, just stating my opinion - I don't want my children sleeping through the night at a month, month and a half. I prefer we have some nursing sessions during the night for a good number of reasons. I also can't let someone else let my child cry anymore than I myself can let my children cry.
10With twins, I think my views would change on having SOMEONE there to help - it's probably one of the only situations where I'd want my mom staying over. I'd still want to nurse at some point during the night, though, as well as cuddle.
11no, i too liked the 3:00 a.m. feedings with just baby and me
peaceful and cuddly.
12I also do things like cosleep, which I'm guessing would make a night nurse counterproductive. *lol* Again, though, with twins I doubt I'd do that, we wouldn't have room.
13I don't think I would. My son is now 17 months and JUST started sleeping through the night 2-3 times a week. I am EXHAUSTED, but I want to be the one to comfort my baby. If I wasn't such a control freak it would be nice to have a night nurse : ) LOL
14Well if JLo can do it without one, I should be able to as well!
15Yes, I would. I would probably still get up once a night to feed the baby, but in general I am a zombie at night and I need my sleep. With co sleeping I can't sleep well at all, I am too afraid I'll roll on the baby.
16My 1 month old baby girl is pretty good sleeper though, and has even slept from 12 AM to 5:30 AM a couple of times. I don't know what is wrong with a little one sleeping through the night at that age? My lactation specialist said it's OK because she is gaining weight well.
17i say no and 10k on a night nurse, that could be an extra 10k for tuition just my take
18I dont have kids so its hard to say but I imagine when I do I'll take any help I can get. Any extra support or guidance seems like it would be worth it especially in the wee hours. I can see everyones side on this one though, like I can imagine why a new mommy would want to be the one to cuddle and comfort the new baby.
19It would be nice to have one, but I wouldn't want to shell out the money. I also breastfeed and co-sleep for the first 6 months so it would be pointless.
20I think a night nurse is just too much (unless there are twins and a very overworked daddy, otherwise he can get up and be the night nurse!). I nursed my baby (still am at 9 months) and had her sleeping through the night at 9 weeks without the help of a night nurse. If you are really that tired hire someone during the day to help out so all you have to do is care for your child, sleep while they do and just do it the old fashion way.
21There's nothing wrong with a baby naturally sleeping that long at that age, I simply don't want someone forcing it onto my one-month-old with sleep-training and crying it out. My latest sleeps from about 11 to 4 on a regular basis and has since the night we brought her home. I just don't consider that "through the night" even though technically it is, and it wasn't forced on her.
22my baby boy is a happy camper and we co-sleep and breastfeed. The only time it was really hard was the first month when breastfeeding was longer, more frequent, and also painful. If we needed help, i'd just opt for help with my other things that need to get done. Of course, with twins or a collicky baby i might need to reconsider. But I would not want me or baby to miss out!
23absolutely -
wadewifey3, your comment that folks have raised babies for 1000s of years w/o help isn't totally true. Many more people used to live in a house (family, extended family etc.) and so often you had more relatives around to help. I don't. I also would love to get pointers from a "professional" since none of my friends have kids yet.
mrtruman, the money you spent may also be saved in other ways, ie. being awake enough to cook at home more (less take-out) and put more hours in at work.
24I love getting pointers, no matter how many kids I have. I just don't think I need to pay a professional for that.
2510k in 10 weeks really can't be saved by eating at home instead of eating out, especially during that amount of time, with a newborn, etc..etc...
I personally think it's a stretch to try and come up with ways it will all even out. It's an extra cost of a $1000 a week that person is willing to make for whatever reason..
26Though I do work in childcare, I'm totally against this. Why should people even have children if they're not ready to get up at night and care for their child?
I certainly understand daycare for parents who need to work, but many other forms of child care just reflect a parent's laziness. You should not consistantly hire someone to care for your child just so you can have your fun and get your beauty rest!
27exactly!!!!!!
28In response to "a night nurse would not be an option as I'd still have to wake up and feed the baby"
If you express your milk than the night nurse or a family member (wink wink DH) can bottle feed the baby.
29Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.