{"id":6252,"date":"2026-03-21T00:07:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T00:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/?p=6252"},"modified":"2026-09-11T19:31:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T19:31:18","slug":"the-state-of-newborn-care-policy-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/21\/the-state-of-newborn-care-policy-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"The State of Newborn Care Policy Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">T<em>he State of Newborn Care in the United States: Gaps in Oversight and the Need for Standardization<\/em> is a workforce policy paper written by Let Mommy Sleep Founder, Denise Iacona Stern. The full report is <a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6137406\">available on SSRN<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In-home newborn care and postpartum support is a rapidly growing industry. Medicaid now covers birth and postpartum doulas in most states, night nanny care is available as part of many employer benefit packages and caregivers are increasingly choosing in-home newborn care as a career path.  The global postpartum products market is projected to reach $3.90 billion by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grandviewresearch.com\/industry-analysis\/postpartum-products-market-report\" title=\"2030\">2030<\/a>, a reflection of surging consumer demand for postpartum support across all categories, including in-home care services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6137406\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"629\" src=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/State-of-Newborn-Care-policy-paper-1024x629.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6253\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6279809220985693;width:635px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/State-of-Newborn-Care-policy-paper-1024x629.png 1024w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/State-of-Newborn-Care-policy-paper-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/State-of-Newborn-Care-policy-paper-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/State-of-Newborn-Care-policy-paper-1536x944.png 1536w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/State-of-Newborn-Care-policy-paper.png 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">As use of private newborn and postpartum care becomes normalized, standards, protocols and oversight lag behind. And while the work is healthcare-adjacent, there is no recognized credential or oversight. Simply put, families cannot verify caregiver training and caregivers in turn have no mechanism for remediation in the event of a dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\"><blockquote><p><em>Labels that imply standardization without<br>independent oversight unintentionally obscure a wide variation in training and work<br>expectations, further evidencing the need for a standardized system.<\/em><\/p><cite>-The State of Newborn Care, 2026<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-regular-font-size\"><strong>The State of Newborn Care in the United States: <\/strong>What the Research Shows<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\">The f<a href=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/28\/your-first-week-home-with-baby-ultimate-qa\/\" title=\"irst 12 weeks \">irst 12 weeks <\/a>of life represent a high-risk period for newborns and parents, but there is no credential for those who support families during this time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\">In-home newborn care as a profession has grown rapidly driven by unmet demand during the postpartum phase.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\">Despite increased use, the sector lacks national standards, creating preventable safety, public health and professional issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\">Newborn care training and practices among caregivers vary widely.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\">Aggregation and accountability are necessary to protect families and providers alike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">While private agencies and training programs offer certificate opportunities, there are no nationally accepted or enforced safety guidelines. The first step to elevating care for families, and protected the caregivers who are called to do this work, is meaningful credentialing. <br><br>The Newborn &amp; Postpartum Support (NAPS<a href=\"https:\/\/newborncarecertified.com\" title=\") Night Doula Certificate\">) Night Doula Certificate<\/a> was built in response to exactly this gap. It&#8217;s not a government credential, but it is a voluntary evidence-based standard for caregivers and families while the industry awaits the national oversight it needs.  It is a rigorous, voluntary standard overseen by a third party Advisory Board of Registered Nurses and postpartum subject matter experts, developed by the organization that has been advocating for mandatory national standards since 2010.  <a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2139\/ssrn.6137406\" title=\".  Read the full policy paper here. \">Read the full policy paper here. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": [\"BlogPosting\", \"ScholarlyArticle\"],\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/21\/the-state-of-newborn-care-policy-paper\/#article\",\n      \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n        \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n        \"@id\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/21\/the-state-of-newborn-care-policy-paper\/\"\n      },\n      \"headline\": \"The State of Newborn Care in the United States: Gaps in Oversight and the Need for Standardization\",\n      \"alternativeHeadline\": \"A Workforce Policy Paper by Denise Iacona Stern, Let Mommy Sleep\",\n      \"description\": \"A workforce policy paper examining the rapid growth of in-home newborn and postpartum care, the absence of national standards and oversight, and the need for meaningful credentialing to protect families and caregivers. 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It examines the rapid growth of in-home newborn and postpartum care as an industry, the absence of national standards and oversight, and the need for meaningful credentialing to protect both families and caregivers. The full paper is available at https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2139\/ssrn.6137406\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What are the key findings of the newborn care policy paper?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"The paper finds that the first 12 weeks of life represent a high-risk period for newborns and parents but there is no nationally recognized credential for those who support families during this time. In-home newborn care has grown rapidly driven by unmet demand but lacks national standards, creating preventable safety, public health, and professional issues. As the paper states, labels that imply standardization without independent oversight unintentionally obscure wide variation in training and work expectations, further evidencing the need for a standardized system.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What is the NAPS Night Doula Certificate?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"The Newborn and Postpartum Support (NAPS) Night Doula Certificate is a voluntary evidence-based credential for in-home newborn care providers, developed by Let Mommy Sleep in response to the absence of national oversight. It is overseen by a third-party Advisory Board of Registered Nurses and postpartum subject matter experts and represents a rigorous voluntary standard while the industry awaits national credentialing.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"Why does newborn care need national standards?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"Families currently cannot verify caregiver training and caregivers have no mechanism for remediation in the event of a dispute. While private agencies and training programs offer certificate opportunities, there are no nationally accepted or enforced safety guidelines. The global postpartum products market is projected to reach $3.90 billion by 2030, reflecting surging demand for postpartum support \u2014 demand that has outpaced oversight.\"\n          }\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/21\/the-state-of-newborn-care-policy-paper\/#breadcrumb\",\n      \"itemListElement\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n          \"position\": 1,\n          \"name\": \"Home\",\n          \"item\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n          \"position\": 2,\n          \"name\": \"Blog\",\n          \"item\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n          \"position\": 3,\n          \"name\": \"The State of Newborn Care Policy Paper\",\n          \"item\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/21\/the-state-of-newborn-care-policy-paper\/\"\n        }\n      ]\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State of Newborn Care in the United States: Gaps in Oversight and the Need for Standardization is a workforce policy paper written by Let Mommy Sleep Founder, Denise Iacona Stern. The full report is available on SSRN. In-home newborn care and postpartum support is a rapidly growing industry. Medicaid now covers birth and postpartum [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":6253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[703,261,726],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corporate-care","category-hiring-a-night-nanny","category-newborn-care"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}