Getting Professional Baby Nurse Help

I've heard that it's important to try to get the twins into a schedule, and that an experienced baby nurse might help when you first get home from hospital to provide some support and guidance.

Has anyone hired a baby nurse?
For how long? we were thinking just the first week or so, maybe a few nights a week after that but we are concerned about cost.

We live in Northern NJ, does anyone have any specific recommendations? Feel free to message me.

Thanks,
Karen

 

I hired a newborn care specialist two weeks after they came home. I have no family here so it was just me. My hubby was little help b/c he worked every day. I was only getting around 2 hrs of sleep a day and knew I couldn't continue that way. My babies were small and ate every 3 hours, then I would pump and try to sleep. Anyway, the ncs was extremely helpful. I am a first time mom and felt overwhelmed and clueless. She gave me invaluable advice. My babies had reflux very bad and she made them a reflux nest. My dd was also on an apnea monitor, and she was experienced with that too. Once they got older, she sleep trained them. Some pp here are against that, but that was my choice and I'm sooooo glad I did it. Now, they are on a very predictable nap/eat/sleep/play (not in that order)schedule. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend it. They can be pricey. I paid mine $22 per hour. She was one of the more experienced ones, so she cost a little more...ya get what ya pay for. But with dd on an apnea monitor, I cut cost where I needed to to afford her. It gave me a peace of mind at night when she was here knowing that someone experienced was caring for the twins. I got sleep and I was a much better mom for it. I have to say, my babies were also on the more high maintenance side. Some mom's here had babies come home eating every 4 hours. Mine weren't able to do that for many weeks! You do what you feel comfortable with. But you need to feel comfy with whom you hire. Please pm me if ya have anymore questions.
-Debbie-

 

I hired a night nurse for 3 nights a week when the boys were almost 3 months. She helped us to stretch out their night feeding so they would start sleeping through the night. She was awesome!

 

Hi. We hired doulas to help us out at night for about the first 4 months after the boys came home. They were awesome. I'm not sure exactly where you are located but this is who we used:

NorthEast Doulas

They were AWESOME!!! And truly worth it.

Good luck!

 

My mom will be here for the first two weeks, but I hired a night nurse (10 hour shifts) for the two weeks after that. If my dad/inlaws will help pay and she has the availability, we might ask her to stay longer. I hired her through a posting she listed on a community website, but she has good training and amazing references. She's never cared for twins though (which is how I was able to get her down to an affordable price), but I'm hoping she'll still make a big difference in our ability to sleep (or just shower/eat!).

 

I guess getting help from a baby nurse during the first week can make a big difference, especially with twins. Even just a few nights of support can give you time to rest and adjust. Some families in Northern NJ have found part-time options that fit their budget. You could also look at ceufast to learn more about newborn care basics, which can help you feel more prepared.