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.