During a night shift, I am there to support the baby and the family through the night. That can include feeding support, bringing the baby to mum for breastfeeding, bottle feeding if agreed, winding, changing, settling, and keeping the night calm, dark, quiet, and low-stimulation. The aim is not to turn the night into a teaching session or a busy baby workshop at 2am. It is to take the tedious parts of the night off the mother’s hands where possible, so she can rest, recover, and go back to sleep sooner. In the morning, I usually send a clear overview of what happened during the night, so parents know how the baby fed, slept, settled, and what may be useful for the day ahead.

When the baby is sleeping, I keep the night peaceful and quiet. If bottles, pump parts, or feeding items were used during the night, I clean and sterilise them where possible before I rest. I usually rest when the baby rests too, while staying close enough to respond when needed. Newborns sleep best when the room feels safe, steady, and calm, not bright, busy, or full of phone light at 3am. If something can wait until morning, I will not start rattling around in the kitchen while the whole house is sleeping. The aim is simple: baby rests, parents rest, and the night stays as undisturbed as possible.

For standard night support, I usually rest when the baby rests, while staying close enough to respond when needed. I can offer waking nights in some situations, but they are charged differently because staying fully awake through the night has a much bigger impact on the body, sleep rhythm, and the day after. Waking nights are usually reserved for babies who need closer observation or have specific medical needs where someone must remain fully awake and alert. For most healthy newborns, resting night support is exactly what they need: the baby is cared for, I respond when needed, and the night can stay peaceful and sleep-focused for everyone.

I usually stay in the same room as the baby. This is part of safe newborn care, especially in the early months, when babies should sleep in a room with an adult. I need a comfortable bed or mattress in the nursery, or in the room where the baby is sleeping. Sometimes the baby is in a co-sleeper close to me, sometimes in a cot nearby. The important part is that I can respond quickly when the baby needs me. I also like using a monitor, so if I need to go to the bathroom, prepare a bottle, or clean feeding equipment, I can still hear and see the baby. For 24-hour care, when I take my protected rest time, the baby stays with the parents or another agreed adult.

Yes. These are the main parts of night support and newborn care. I can help with feeds, winding, changing, settling, bottles, expressed milk, formula preparation if agreed, and sterilising the feeding items used during my working hours. With breastfeeding mothers, I can bring the baby for feeds and then take over the winding, changing, and settling afterwards. The whole point is to reduce the extra work that keeps parents awake long after the feed itself is finished.

My work sits between practical newborn care, postnatal support, parent education, and gentle sleep guidance. I am not a midwife or doctor, and I do not replace medical care. I am also not a general nanny or housekeeper. Nannies are usually trained to care for children from a later stage, not specifically for the newborn weeks. Even maternity nanny work can be focused on older babies, which is a very different developmental stage. My focus is the newborn stage: feeding, settling, sleep rhythm, observation, comfort, routine, and supporting the family through the early weeks. I bring decades of hands-on newborn experience into the home, so parents feel supported in real life, not just told what to do from a book.