A Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) is a caregiver with specialized training in the care of babies in their first weeks and months. At Hudson Valley Family Doulas, Caroline Sherman and Johanna Forney hold the Newborn Care Specialist certification alongside their postpartum doula training, so your family gets newborn expertise and postpartum support from the same person.

• Feeding support that fits your goals: breast, bottle or a combination
• Help reading your baby’s cues and building healthy sleep and feeding routines
• Soothing and settling techniques for fussy periods
• Infant hygiene: bathing, diapering and everyday newborn care
• Clear, evidence-based answers to your questions as they come up

A postpartum doula supports the whole family, including the birthing parent’s physical recovery and emotional adjustment. A newborn care specialist focuses on the baby’s care and routines. Because our NCS-certified team members are also postpartum doulas, they can do both: care for your newborn and look after you.

“Baby nurse” is a common name for newborn caregivers, but a newborn care specialist is not a licensed nurse and does not provide medical care. Your pediatrician handles your baby’s medical needs; an NCS supports the day-to-day care at home, during the day or overnight.

Our team also includes Certified Lactation Counselors (Dara Shulman, Johanna Forney and Vicki Bloom), lactation consultant Justine Callahan and certified sleep consultant Haley Henn. Meet the whole team.

Call 845-288-1985 or send us a message. After a private consultation, we match your family with the right doula for your plan, whether that is daytime, overnight or live-in support.

At Hudson Valley Family Doulas, we prioritize your individuality and mold our support into exactly what you need.