Lucky Lil’ Blog

 
LLD
 

10 Must Have Tips For Finding The Right Baby Nurse or Doula

December 28, 2012

Finding the right support for your labor and delivery and for the weeks after is critical, whether you are looking for a doula or baby nurse. We asked Melissa Lutzke founder of RateMyBabyNurse and RateMyDoula, baby nurse and doula review sites, for tips on getting started.

5 tips for finding your baby nurse

  • Start your search as early as you can. Some women book their baby nurses within days of finding out they’re pregnant, so the longer you wait, the fewer available baby nurses there will be. But, if you’re nearing your due date and haven’t booked a baby nurse yet, don’t panic. You can still find someone great—you may just have to dig a little deeper.
  • Interview carefully. Evaluate her certifications (which can include Infant Care Specialist, infant CPR, LPN, LVN RN), years of experience and skill level, and find out if this is somebody you are comfortable with. You can use Rate My Baby Nurse’s Baby Nurse Interview Questions to get started. It’s also important to open the interview into more of a conversation.  Ask about her family and what she likes to do—it’s a great way to get to know a person.
  • Ask her about her approach to establishing a sleep routine and if you are going to breastfeed, her approach on breastfeeding.  Does she advocate for supplementing with formula? When would she suggest introducing the bottle? There are different schools of thought for both sleep and feeding, and even if you don’t fully know what you want to do and how you want to do it, you’ll still get a sense if your thinking aligns.
  • It’s also essential to feel that you “click” with your baby nurse and that you would feel comfortable communicating with her.
  • Research whomever you are considering. Check certifications and references, and run a background check

5 Tips for finding your doula

  • Observe the doula during the interview. Does she listen to you? Does she involve your partner in the conversation? She should do both, and both are important for a positive experience. Here is a list of Doula Interview Questions from Rate My Doula to get you started.
  • Do you connect with this person? Will you want her by your side during your labor and delivery, or in the weeks that follow?  Will you feel comfortable communicating with her?
  • If you’ve already chosen your OB or Midwife and know where you are delivering, find out if the doula you are interviewing has experience working with any of them. Also get a sense if the experiences were positive.
  • Determine if your doula has experience with any personal circumstances or goals you may have, and if her philosophies on childbirth or postpartum decisions align with yours. For instance if you are considering an epidural what does she think about that?
  • Again, research whomever you are considering. Check certifications (some include DONA, CAPPA, ICEA, ALACE) and references. Determine how much training she has had, as different certification programs involve varying levels. And especially for a postpartum doula run a background check.

RateMyBabyNurse and RateMyDoula are the largest national review sites fully dedicated to providing real parent feedback on baby nurses and doulas. Parents can search based on important criteria like reliability, infant care knowledge and trustworthiness. Be more informed before you make a decision. Find someone highly recommended by moms like you today.

-Melissa Lutzke is the founder of RateMyBabyNurse.com and RateMyDoula.com, baby nurse and doula review sites. Follow them on Twitter. Like them on Facebook.

 
Tags: , ,
 

No comments yet

The comments are closed.

 
close X

Privacy Policy

Lucky Lil’ Darlings, LLC’s Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by Lucky Lil’ Darlings (hereinafter LLD or we/our). This policy governs our collection, usage, and dissemination of your personal information by LLD. We reserve the right to update, change, or modify this policy.

We respect your privacy and work diligently to protect your privacy.

Collection

Lucky Lil’ Darlings only collects the minimum amount of personal information needed to provide our services to each client. Information may include names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and billing information.

We do not use "cookies" on our website. Lucky Lil’ Darlings may collect basic information such as your IP address, your ISP, your browser version, the site you last visited before our website, and related traffic information, which is stored separately from your personal information. This information is not matched with your personal information and is used only for site monitoring and development purposes.

Storage

All personal information is stored in a secure, encrypted database on this website. Only employees of Lucky Lil’ Darlings and you may access your personal information. Babysitters may only access the limited personal information provided by Lucky Lil’ Darlings via the Lucky Lil’ Darlings website.

Usage

Your personal information will not be shared or sold to any other organizations, companies, or individuals not affiliated with Lucky Lil’ Darlings, except as the law may require. Minimal information will be provided to each babysitter to allow them to work for you; however, each babysitter has signed a confidentiality agreement forbidding them to disclose this information to anyone except Lucky Lil’ Darlings.

Questions

Should you have questions about Lucky Lil’ Darlings’ Privacy Policy, please contact us at info@luckylildarlings.com.

Terms of Use

These Terms of Use apply to www.luckylildarlings.com, owned by Lucky Lil’ Darlings, LLC, an Oregon Limited Liability Company. We reserve the right to modify or change these Terms of Use or our website at any time without prior notice. If changes are made, we will make an effort to inform you of any changes, and all changes will be updated on the website.

Content

All content (logos, text, audio, video, etc.) is copyrighted by Lucky Lil’ Darlings and may not be used without the express, written consent of Lucky Lil’ Darlings, except as allowed by fair use principals under United States copyright laws. Lucky Lil’ Darlings does not claim copyright protection for content that is part of the public domain, content licensed to Lucky Lil’ Darlings, or any other content not created by Lucky Lil’ Darlings or content otherwise not protectable by copyright.

Communicating with Us

By using email or other forms of electronic messaging you agree to continue communications via electronic means. Further, you assume the risk that electronic messaging may not be secure and can be misdirected. To that end, we will not send personal information to you via electronic messaging unless you request we send your personal information via electronic means. You may request communication be completed over the telephone or by mail.

Your Usage

We reserve the right to terminate your account or refuse service at our discretion. You must provide www.luckylildarlings.com with accurate information. You are responsible for maintaining your account and password, as well as preventing the unauthorized use of your account. Lucky Lil’ Darlings suggests not writing down your account information and not using a common password to further protect your account from unauthorized use.

You agree that the governing law for any disputes is the laws of the State of Oregon in the United States, excluding conflicts of law principles. You further agree that any disputes must be submitted to the jurisdiction of any competent court in a county Lucky Lil’ Darlings, LLC is registered in with the proper state authorities. These Terms of Use represent the entire and complete Terms of Use for www.luckylildarlings.com, other terms apply to the use of Lucky Lil’ Darlings services.

Should any portion or provision of the Terms of Use be found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court with proper jurisdiction, then that provision is stricken from the Terms of Use and all other provisions remain valid and enforceable, and these Terms of Use remain in effect.

All users who are minors in the jurisdiction in which they reside (generally under the age of 18) must have the permission of, and be directly supervised by, their parent or guardian to use our website. If you are a minor, you must have your parent or guardian read and agree to these terms of use prior to you using our website. By continuing to use www.luckylildarlings.com, you agree you have read these terms of use and agree to these terms of use. You also agree that your continued use of the website after any modifications to these Terms of Use is consent to the modified terms. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, then do not use this website.

You hereby agree that Lucky Lil’ Darlings is not to be held responsible for any type of property damage (to your car or a third party's car, or any other property) or bodily injury or death (to either occupants of your car or another car) resulting from one of its sitters using your vehicle. It is against LLD policy for sitters to use their own vehicles, and if you choose to allow a sitter to drive your vehicle, or drive any vehicle while working for you, LLD cannot be held liable for any results of your choice to do so. LLD makes no representations about its sitters driving records or claims any responsibility for the quality of the driving services performed.

Liability

You agree to hold harmless Lucky Lil’ Darlings, for any damages caused by one of its sitters working as a Domestic Provider for the Family.  The Family hereby acknowledges that LLD served only as placement agent among Domestic Provider and the Family.

You hereby agree that Lucky Lil’ Darlings is not to be held responsible for any type of property damage (to your car or a third party's car, or any other property) or bodily injury or death (to either occupants of your car or another car) resulting from one of its sitters using your vehicle. It is against LLD policy for sitters to use their own vehicles, and if you choose to allow a sitter to drive your vehicle, or drive any vehicle while working for you, LLD cannot be held liable for any results of your choice to do so. LLD makes no representations about its sitters driving records or claims any responsibility for the quality of the driving services performed.

Please also note that cancellations or rescheduling done within a 24-hour period of the start time of services are subject to the following fee: $50 fee in NY, NJ, CT & CA; and $40 fee in TX, IL, PA, GA & MA. By agreeing to this waiver you grant us permission to charge your credit card.

BY SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT, FAMILY AFFIRMATIVELY CONSENTS TO AUTOMATIC CHARGES TO THE CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD ACCOUNT PROVIDED BELOW. DURING THE TERM OF THIS AGREEMENT, THE APPLICABLE FEES AGREED TO BETWEEN THE REFERRING PARTY AND THE FAMILY WILL BE CHARGED AUTOMATICALLY TO THIS ACCOUNT. THE SERVICES PROVIDED ARE CONTINUOUS AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL FAMILY CANCELS OR THE AGREEMENT IS OTHERWISE TERMINATED. FAMILY CAN CANCEL AT ANY TIME BY CONTACTING LLD AT [info@luckylildarlings.com or 917.608.1231]. LLD DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT OR OTHERWISE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN ANY EVENT, LLD’S LIABILITY TO FAMILY FOR ANY REASON AND UPON ANY CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE NET AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID TO LLD BY FAMILY DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE ON WHICH SUCH CLAIM ACCRUED. THIS LIMITATION APPLIES TO ALL CAUSES OF ACTION IN THE AGGREGATE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, BREACH OF CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, MISREPRESENTATION, AND OTHER TORTS.

All users who are minors in the jurisdiction in which they reside (generally under the age of 18) must have the permission of, and be directly supervised by, their parent or guardian to use our website. If you are a minor, you must have your parent or guardian read and agree to these terms of use prior to you using our website. By continuing to use www.luckylildarlings.com, you agree you have read these terms of use and agree to these terms of use. You also agree that your continued use of the website after any modifications to these Terms of Use is consent to the modified terms. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, then do not use this website.

Contact

Should you have questions about Lucky Lil’ Darlings’ Terms of Use, please contact us at info@luckylildarlings.com.