Doula vs Nanny vs NCS: What’s the Difference?
Understanding the options available for postpartum support so you can find the best fit for your family.
Having support during the postpartum period isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. When you're held, cared for, and supported in the right ways, you’re more likely to feel calm, connected, and confident as you adjust to life with a new baby. The beautiful thing is: there are so many options for support, and the key is finding the one that meets your needs. Understanding the different roles—whether it’s a postpartum doula, a newborn care specialist, or a mother’s helper—not only helps you ask the right questions when interviewing, but also ensures you feel satisfied with the kind of care you receive. When you know who you’re hiring and what to expect, your postpartum experience can feel a lot more aligned, intentional, and nurturing.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common postpartum support roles so you can decide what feels right for your family, whether you’re looking for help during the day, overnight, or both.
Daytime Support
A Postpartum Doula’s Role
A postpartum doula isn’t just here for the baby—we’re here for the whole family. Our goal is to support you as a new parent (or growing family) as you navigate recovery, emotions, feeding, relationships, and all the little “is this normal?” moments that pop up after birth.
Our care is holistic and flexible. If you need help learning to breastfeed, we’re there. If you need to cry about your birth while someone folds laundry, we’ve got you. If your partner has questions or needs tips on baby care, we support them too.
Daytime postpartum doulas might:
Support breastfeeding or bottle feeding with evidence-based guidance
Teach newborn care (diapering, soothing, babywearing)
Help you rest, shower, or eat a warm meal
Prep light meals/snacks and offer home support
Talk through your birth and help you process the emotional side of postpartum
We’re here to nurture the whole family, not just the baby. Some days, the focus is on baby care. Other days, it’s helping parents feel heard, capable, and less alone. Often, it’s a mix of both. We’re educators, sounding boards, and support people for whatever that day calls for.
A Nanny’s Role
A nanny is typically a long-term childcare provider focused primarily on the baby or children. While some families bring in a nanny early in the postpartum period, most commonly it's when parents return to work or need regular daytime coverage. Unlike a postpartum doula, a nanny’s role is child-centered rather than family-centered—they’re not trained to offer emotional support, education, or guidance on postpartum healing, unless they happen to have experience in those areas.
A daytime nanny might be a great fit if you're looking for someone to help care for your baby during the day so you can rest, work, or care for older siblings. Just keep in mind that their support tends to begin and end with the child—not with your overall family dynamic, recovery, or emotional wellbeing.
A daytime nanny, typically:
Focuses on the child(ren)’s care (feeding, changing, engaging in play or activities)
May help with baby-related tasks like washing bottles or baby laundry
Works regular or part-time hours, sometimes live-in or live-out
Offers long-term or ongoing care
Doesn’t provide postpartum recovery support or education
Isn’t trained to support your emotional or physical adjustment unless they have personal experience or training
A Mother’s Helper’s Role
A mother’s helper is usually someone—often a teen or young adult—who comes into your home to assist while you’re still there. They’re there to lend a hand, not take full charge. This role is great for families who need an extra set of hands to keep things moving but don’t necessarily want to leave their baby or children alone with someone else.
Mother’s helpers can be incredibly helpful during those early postpartum weeks when you're healing, nursing, or just trying to get a minute to breathe. They may not have formal training in baby care or postpartum support, but they can lighten the load in meaningful ways by entertaining older kids, tidying up, or holding the baby while you shower.
A mother’s helper typically:
Works while a parent is home and provides some hands-on support
Helps with basic baby care under your supervision (diapering, rocking, bottle feeding if needed)
Can assist with light chores like dishes, folding laundry, or tidying
Might engage older siblings in play or structured activities
Usually isn’t professionally trained in postpartum recovery or infant care
May be a younger or less experienced caregiver (though not always!)
A Babysitter’s Role
A babysitter is someone you hire to watch your baby or children, usually for short-term or occasional help, and you're typically not home while they’re working. Babysitters can be teenagers, college students, or adults with varying levels of experience. They’re usually hired for date nights, appointments, or times you need to step away for a few hours.
While many babysitters are great with kids and have plenty of hands-on experience, they aren’t trained in postpartum recovery, infant development, or family support. Their job is to keep your baby or children safe, entertained, and fed, not to support your emotional needs or help you transition into parenthood.
A babysitter typically:
Cares for your baby or children while you’re away
May be available for short-term, one-time, or occasional help
Focuses on safety, basic care, and keeping kids entertained
Doesn’t offer support for postpartum recovery or the whole family
May or may not have infant-specific training—always good to ask!
Overnight Support
A Postpartum Doula’s Role
Overnight postpartum doulas offer more than just a good night’s sleep (though yes, that’s a big part!). We’re still focused on the whole family—making sure everyone is resting, adjusting, and feeling supported, even in the middle of the night.
We tailor our care to your needs:
Want to sleep through the night? We can handle bottle feeds and diaper changes while you rest.
Breastfeeding? We’ll bring baby to you and handle the rest so you can drift back to sleep.
Need to talk through challenges at 3 a.m.? We’re a calm, nonjudgmental presence for that, too.
We support parents emotionally, physically, and practically, and can:
Track baby’s patterns and offer insight
Support with nighttime breastfeeding or pumping
Educate on newborn sleep and care
Reassure partners or co-parents and answer their questions
Offer compassionate emotional support during tough nights
Again, our work isn’t just baby-centered—it’s parent-centered, family-centered, and recovery-centered. Whether you need sleep, guidance, emotional support, or all of the above, we’re there.
A Newborn Care Specialist’s Role
A Newborn Care Specialist (or NCS) is a trained and often certified professional who specializes in newborn care, typically from birth through the first 12–16 weeks. Their focus is highly baby-centered, and they’re known for:
Implementing feeding and sleep routines
Troubleshooting infant sleep and reflux issues
Providing overnight care with a focus on baby’s development
Supporting families with multiples (twins, triplets)
They are not licensed medical providers, but many have taken courses in infant development, safe sleep, and specialized newborn care. NCSs are ideal for families who want structure, routine, and someone to focus deeply on baby’s needs overnight—but they usually don’t offer the emotional or educational support for parents like a doula would.
A Baby Nurse’s Role
Let’s clear something up: the term “baby nurse” is commonly used, but it can be misleading. In casual conversation, people often use it to refer to someone who cares for newborns, but in reality, the title “nurse” is legally protected in many states and can only be used by individuals who are licensed and registered as nurses.
A true baby nurse is a licensed registered nurse (RN), typically working in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) or home settings where medically complex newborns require professional medical care. These professionals are trained to monitor vital signs, administer medication, and handle health complications in fragile infants.
However, when most people say “baby nurse,” they’re referring to someone who assists with newborn care in the home but is not a registered nurse. These individuals may have extensive hands-on experience, but they do not provide medical care and are not licensed healthcare providers.
A non-licensed “baby nurse” may:
Stay overnight to care for the baby so parents can sleep
Help with feedings, diaper changes, burping, and soothing
Offer guidance based on their personal experience
Their focus is almost exclusively on the baby, and they’re usually not trained to support the birthing parent emotionally, offer postpartum education, or assist with recovery the way a postpartum doula does. Unlike a certified newborn care specialist, their training, if any, can vary widely and may be entirely informal.
So, what’s the best fit for your family?
Here’s the truth: there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to postpartum care. You might want a doula the first few weeks to ease the transition, and later bring in a nanny for daytime help or a babysitter for occasional breaks. Maybe you mix and match depending on how you're feeling.
The most important thing? Knowing that this support exists, and that it’s okay to ask for it!
Doulas, nannies, baby nurses, newborn care specialists, and helpers all serve different purposes. And now that you know the differences, you can make the choice that’s right for your family and your unique needs.
Curious what kind of support might be best for your postpartum season?
I’d love to talk with you. I offer free discovery calls to help families find the support they need, whether that’s me or someone else in your village.
Let’s build your support system, one step at a time.
