Let Mommy Sleep Blog - Overnight Infant Care + Resources

Baby Safety Month: 3 Things to Know About Nursery Furniture

September 20, 2024

September is Baby Safety Month! While parents typically focus on baby gear like car seats and strollers, it’s also vital to be sure furniture and nursery items are safely made, tested and installed. Bookmark these 3 Things to Know about Nursery Furniture.

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1. You Don’t Have to Give Up Style for Safety

Companies such as Oxford Baby & Kids specialize in creative design, but their main focus is safe furniture that grows with the child, transitioning from cribs to toddler beds, daybeds, and full-size beds. Continuity of safety through all of these transitions is not only practical but gives parents peace of mind.

2. How a Product is Made is Just as Important as How It’s Used

While there are plenty of guidelines and certifications regarding infant sleep products, parents should know that products are put on the market every day that do not follow these guidelines. These products are eventually recalled, but many are sold before they can be pulled off of store shelves and large online storefronts.

With nursery furniture, look for cribs that are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, ensuring that your nursery is a healthy space for your little one. This Certification means the furniture has:

Screened for 10,000 chemical compounds and VOC’s
Rigorously Tested & Approved
Cleaner Indoor Air
Promotes healthier breathing environment

3. Installation Matters, Anchor All Furniture!

Anchor all furniture and heavy items to the walls to make sure they don’t tip over. Anchor these items before baby arrives, because we just don’t know the exact age or date babies will begin pulling themselves up or grabbing at heavy items. Be sure to anchor into wall studs.

The last thing to remember about furniture and baby safety is safe sleep. Babies should always be placed in the crib alone on a firm, flat mattress with a fitted sheet. There should be no stuffed animals or other items in the crib and breathable crib bumpers. American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines show you how.

This blog was written with the help of our friends and 25 year industry veterans, M Design Village

Surgeon General’s Advisory: Parenting is Now a Health Issue

September 3, 2024

It’s not just you. Parenting has gotten so hard on folks that even the US Surgeon General is weighing in. This blog, Surgeon General’s Advisory: Parenting is Now a Health Issue breaks down the Advisory and how it aims to help parents reduce stress and get the support they need.

Surgeon General’s Advisory: Parenting Quick Stats

In 2023, 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults.
41% of parents say that most days they are so stressed they cannot function
66% of parents report feeling consumed by worries regarding money compared to 39% of other adults in 2023.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy whose also a Dad of 2 notes that parents experience unique pressures as shown in the numbers above. Stressors related to raising children, such as financial strain, time demands, concerns about children’s health and safety, isolation, and challenges with technology and social media ae very real.

Additionally, some parents and caregivers are disproportionately affected by mental health conditions, especially those dealing with family or community violence, poverty, or discrimination. Supporting parents is crucial for the well-being of both children and society, and requires policy changes and expanded community programs to provide paid leave, affordable childcare, and other essential resources.

We know the problem, what’s the Answer?

In response to these pressures, the Surgeon General’s Advisory urges a cultural, policy, and programmatic shift to support the well-being of parents and caregivers. It emphasizes the need to change societal norms to value and empower them, addressing the stressors impacting their mental health. This means:

companies expanding paid family leave
improving early childhood education
investing in mental health care and access
providing recommendations for governments, employers, and communities to reduce stress and better support parents and caregivers

Achieving each of these 4 goals will be an ongoing effort within our communities, health systems and the private sector. FOr now the Advisory serves as a call to action. As the website states, Surgeon General’s Advisories are public statements that call the American people’s attention to a critical public health issue.

Like many in the maternal health sector, Let Mommy Sleep continues to advocate for new parents and their health. Our 501c3 Mission Sleep provides free newborn care to parents whose partners are deployed, wounded or deceased. We will also continue to strive for sensible health insurance and postpartum visits. In the meantime these resources might be a help your family:

Crisis Text Line for mental health support: text BRAVE to 741741

Medicaid’s Paid Caregiver Program: If someone with a disability already receives Medicaid, their state may allow a family member or friend to become a paid caregiver.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – Monthly cash assistance payments to low-income families with children, as well as additional services.

We will continue to add to this list.

Introducing the National NAPS Registry for Night Doulas

August 20, 2024

When Let Mommy Sleep opened 14 years ago, we solely hired Certified Nursing Assistants, Medical Technicians, Nurses and other clinically licensed professionals. This is because licensed individuals are governed by their state’s Board of Nursing. So in addition to acting as a high-level vetting tool, licensure means accountability. As time went on however, we realized that recruiting needed to include wonderful newborn nannies, infant-room daycare providers, twins experts and postpartum doulas. These caregivers have great experience with baby care, but don’t always have formal training. In 2015 we were awarded a local government contract to teach evidence-based newborn care, and can now introduce the National NAPS Registry for Night Doulas.

National NAPS Registry for Night Doulas seal

What is the National NAPS Registry for Night Doulas?

The NAPS Registry is a public listing of caregivers who have successfully completed a minimum of:

Newborn and Postpartum Care class
Cribs for Kids Safe Sleep Course
Breastfeeding Basics class
Vaccine attestation
Attestation of age and experience
CPR/First Aide
Current Background Check

Parents and professionals alike can verify experience and academic training by visiting the National NAPS Registry. While Postpartum Doulas certainly care for the newborn and parents, they also typically help families through the day; performing household tasks in addition to care of older children in the home. Postpartum Doulas are included in NAPS, but the Registry focuses on Night Doulas who typically support mothers, parents and the newborn through the night.

The NAPS Curriculum is based on the government-award winning contract Let Mommy Sleep held from 2015-2021 (ending during covid) and is approved and overseen by a third-party Advisory Board of clinicians and subject matter experts in these areas:

Newborn & Infant Care
Public Health
Feeding – Breast and Bottle
Postpartum Physical Health
Postpartum Mental Health Support and Resource Connection
Minimizing SIDS Risk and Safe Sleep Education

What ISN’T the National NAPS Registry for Night Doulas?

The Newborn and Postpartum Support coursework does not include the study of labor and delivery. Therefore this certificate is not appropriate for aspiring labor doulas or those who wish to attend births as professional support staff.

Why did we form the NAPS Registry?

The night nanny, postpartum and newborn care industry is unregulated. In fact, there is no governance or licensure for the care of 4 or fewer children at a time.

The goal of the Newborn and Postpartum Support (NAPS) Certificate is to provide evidence-based education, accountability and verification of education for in-home newborn care providers, postpartum doulas and the families they support. A baseline of study, coupled with transparency is vital in child care. Families can also have peace of mind knowing their newborn and postpartum caregiver has received the most up to date, safest and evidence-based practices. NAPS third-party Advisory Board of subject matter experts continually reviews and approves the NAPS curriculum. Third party validation also ensures credibility or the certification.

Half Off Registration for Newborn Care Specialists

NAPS Registration is 50% off ($149) for those who have taken newborn care specialist classes We value your previous training and experience, but since we can’t verify the specifics of prior courses, all NAPS Registry members are required to complete our evidence-based classes. Please reach out to Let Mommy Sleep to receive a unique promo code. This will allow you to take our classes and join the Registry.

Half Off Registration for Seasoned Postpartum Doulas

Many of you have been working in infant care longer than all these “certifications” and classes have been around. Taking the NAPS bundle of classes is required for everyone to be listed on the national Registry. But if you have 5 or more years of experience caring for newborns, infants and twins, the course is 1/2 off for you. Contact us for your 1/2 off promo code. If this is a financial hardship for you, please contact us anyway. We will do our best to make accommodations.

Finance Night Nanny and Night Doula Care Now

August 14, 2024

The line from sleep deprivation to poor health, accidents and even postpartum depression is clear. Further, the demands of multiple children or working outside the home making this line even stronger! That’s why we’re thrilled to announce an innovative solution for new families: pay over time financing for overnight newborn care. When families finance night nanny and night doula care, high-quality postpartum care becomes more accessible…and we all benefit!

**Find your local Let Mommy Sleep to see finance options**

How Does it Work?

Let Mommy Sleep has partnered with Affirm to offer no interest/pay-over-time options for our night nanny and night nurse services. This means that every location can bring families more flexibility and access to postpartum care with packages of 7, 14 or 21 nights. Choose your Let Mommy Sleep location here. Pay over time options include 6-36 months of payments, in addition to 0% interest when you qualify. The financing process is very simple and you may already be familiar with it if you’ve used Klarna or Affirm to shop on Amazon, Wal-Mart or other major retailers. Here’s what happens:

Once you confirm night nanny care, you’ll receive a service agreement that includes payment options.
You can then click “Affirm” and choose how many nights of care you’d like.
Then click the Affirm payment option that works best for you. Checking Affirm does not affect your credit.
If you don’t see an option you like, or change your mind, that’s okay you can always hit the back button!

let mommy sleep and affirm pay over time financing

Finance Night Nanny and Night Doula Care FAQ’s

Does checking Affirm affect my credit? No it does not.

What happens if I don’t use all the nights in my package? As always, we’ll be happy to refund any unused nights. You should be aware that Affirm requires a 10% service fee on refunds, so we have to include their fee in a refund.

Can I gift these packages? Sure, so long as they are in a Let Mommy Sleep service area.

Can I decide to pay over time even though I’m already a client? Sure! We are here to help you do what is easiest and most helpful for your family!

We will never stop fighting to normalize postpartum care and equally important, making overnight newborn care accessible to as many people as possible. The pay over time initiative for financing night nanny and night doula services therefore represents this commitment. Improving the mental and physical health of new parents is non-negotiable…but now payment options are!

Finance Night Nanny and Night Doula Care with Let Mommy Sleep

Why You Want a Birthing Friendly Hospital

July 11, 2024

In June 2022 the White House unveiled the Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, which aims for better birth outcomes. Successes of the blueprint include expanded Medicaid postpartum coverage and increased access to care. One of the most powerful improvements however, is the Birthing-Friendly Hospital designation. This blog, Why You Want a Birthing Friendly Hospital delves into what Birthing-Friendly means and why it’s beneficial.

Why You Want a Birthing Friendly Hospital – the Facts

Over 80% of pregnancy deaths are preventable. And the rates of death for Black women are significantly higher than rates for White and Hispanic women. (CDC) To help address this, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented the Birthing Friendly Hospital designation.

In short, from the CMS website: “Birthing-Friendly” is the first-ever CMS designation to describe high-quality maternity care. To earn the designation, hospitals and health systems:

Participated in a statewide or national perinatal quality improvement collaborative program; and
Implemented evidence-based quality interventions in hospital settings to improve maternal health.

Hospitals and health systems also continually report their progress the the CMS Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program.

Further, the designation as a Birthing Friendly Hospital involves meeting certain criteria that focus on patient-centered care, evidence-based practices, and equity. As CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure says: As maternal health inequities persist across the nation, the designation offers a tangible marker of the evidence-based practices that hospitals and health systems can pursue to close these gaps and ultimately provide the kind of care all expectant parents deserve.

Evidence-Based Practices: Hospitals must implement evidence-based protocols for labor and delivery, including practices that are known to improve maternal outcomes and reduce complications.
Equitable Care: Addressing disparities in maternal health outcomes by providing equitable access to care, particularly for marginalized and underserved communities. Additionally, this includes respectful and culturally competent care
Continuous Improvement: Committing to ongoing quality improvement initiatives that monitor outcomes, address any disparities or issues identified, and strive for excellence in maternal health care delivery.
Delivery Rooms: Fully stocked with life saving equipment for use during labor, delivery and postpartum. (VP Harris, July 10, 2024)

Click the Map to find a Birthing Friendly Hospital

Click to find a Birthing-Friendly Hospital or Health System

Postpartum Doulas and Newborn Care at Home

For help once parents arrive home with their newborns, postpartum check-ups are now covered by Medicaid in 44 states. On the other hand, families that do not participate in Medicaid, postpartum care is typically an out-of-pocket expense. However, there are options to make the cost of a night nanny or postpartum doula more manageable.

There is still more work to be done for better birth and postpartum outcomes, but expanded access and life-saving interventions are steps in the right direction. These are the reasons Why You Want a Birthing Friendly Hospital.

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