Mother and baby nurses: what the night premium actually buys
Be precise about what you are hiring. A licensed nurse can do the clinical parts of the fourth trimester — observing for newborn jaundice, cord care, feeding assessment, safe-sleep setup, and supporting a mother recovering from a caesarean. A maternity nanny or confinement carer, however experienced, is a different and cheaper tier without a clinical licence. Both have their place; paying nurse rates for nanny work, or expecting clinical judgement from a nanny, are both mismatches.
Know the medical boundaries before you need them. Any fever in a baby under three months, poor feeding with reduced wet nappies, laboured breathing or unusual drowsiness is a see-a-doctor-now situation, not something a night nurse manages at home. A good mother-and-baby nurse will say exactly that, and her willingness to escalate is part of what you are paying for.