What is an overnight doula?

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A night doula provides essential support in postpartum by helping parents rest and recover. They manage nighttime infant care—feeding, diaper changes, and soothing—allowing parents uninterrupted sleep. This improves maternal mental health, speeds physical recovery, and supports lactation by reducing stress. Night doulas also offer guidance on infant sleep patterns, feeding techniques, and self-care strategies, building parents' confidence in handling nighttime challenges.

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Goal: Get you (the parents) some sleep without worrying about the baby!

 

Benefits:

• Gives you a night off to get uninterrupted sleep

• A break for your nervous system from being on alert for the baby

• Ability to have some evening time to yourself and/or with your partner

• Feeling refreshed and ready to begin the next day

• A listening ear on rough nights who has first-hand experience with your baby

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Requirements:

I must have a place to sleep between wakes, whether that is a bed, daybed, or couch. If it is in a different room than the baby, I must have a monitor or app to listen for wakes. The baby also should not be asleep in your room as this will disturb you when I go in to change and soothe them to sleep. Babies typically have a failed transfer or two before they get to sleep! If you do not plan to breastfeed during the night I must have access to formula and clean water and/or breastmilk.

 

Expectations of Me:

During the night, for each feed, I will always:

• Wake up and change the baby

• Feed them via bottle or bring them to you for breastfeeding

• Handle burping and getting the baby back down to sleep

 

During the night, I can also:

• Get a load or two of baby laundry done.

• Bathe baby before bed.

• Get dishes from dinner loaded and in the dishwasher.

• Prep bottles for the next day.

• Stay up and chat if you need support.

• Prepare breakfast for the following day.

 

Before I leave in the morning:

• Pump and/or bottle parts are washed for morning pump/feed.

• My sleeping area is tidied, and sheets are in wash, if desired.

• You receive a detailed account of the baby’s night for tracking purposes.

 

Real Example Shift:

9 pm -- I arrive, catch up with you on how things are going, and prepare bottles for the evening. The baby had just fed and was handed off to me.

9:30 pm -- Swaddled baby and put her down in the bassinet. I catch some sleep in the guest room.

11:20 pm -- The baby wakes up, and I change their diaper and feed them. After a few failed transfers, I put the baby back in the bassinet at 12:40.

3:10 am -- I followed the whole above routine again. Around 4:00 am, the baby was uncomfortable, so I held her until the next feed.

6:45 am -- I woke up for the final feed, washed the pump parts, handed it off to the parents, and headed out!

 

Video Example of an overnight shift with a doula: https://www.tiktok.com/@torwhee/video/7380925828533587242