In an industry where newborn care training is unregulated, and the word ‘certified’ is used loosely, independent oversight is what separates a meaningful credential from a marketing term. The NAPS Advisory Board was established in 2016 to ensure that what caregivers learn reflects current evidence, not just what the organization issuing the credential believes is best practice.

The advisory board’s clinical expertise underpins the RN-Coordinated Newborn Care model at Let Mommy Sleep, ensuring that NAPS-certified caregivers working alongside Registered Nurses are trained to a standard that RNs can rely on.

The case for independent oversight is documented in The State of Newborn Care, a workforce policy paper published on SSRN in 2026 by Let Mommy Sleep. Read the paper.

To ensure that the NAPS Night Doula Curriculum reflects the most current, evidence-based practices, the Newborn and Postpartum Support (NAPS) Advisory Board provides neutral oversight and clinical review:

• Daily Newborn & Infant Care
• Hygiene Practices and Public Health Safety
• Breastfeeding
• Bottle and Infant Feeding
• Postpartum Physical Health
• Postpartum Mental Health Support and Resource Connection
• Safe Sleep Education & SIDS Risk Reduction

Meet the Newborn and Postpartum Support Advisory Board

• Laura Hegarty-Moore, RN, MPH (Registered Nurses/Masters of Public Health) – Laura is an Infection Prevention Specialist and Public Health Nurse based in California. Laura is Certified in Infection Control and is a member of APIC, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. She worked on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic and is a mother of 2 boys. Laura’s infection control expertise directly informs the hygiene, public health safety, and vaccination standards that all Let Mommy Sleep caregivers are required to meet.

• Tawanda Romo, M.A.Ed. (Master of Arts in Education) – Tawanda is the Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMAD) Coordinator and Community Educator at Dignity Health, St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Las Vegas, NV.  Tawanda is also the Parent Outreach Coordinator at Nevada Maternal Child Health Organization (NVMCH.org) and has helped us compile meaningful, ongoing resources for expecting and new parents.

• Jessica Simpson, IBCLC, M.S.,CCC – SLP (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and Masters of Science and Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Language Pathology) – Jessica has been supporting new breastfeeding families in the hospital setting since 2018 and also provides visits in the home. Jess has also been a licensed and certified CCC-SLP since 1992, seeing infants exclusively for oral-motor and feeding disorders. Jessica’s dual background in lactation and infant oral-motor disorders means the breastfeeding and feeding modules address both the mechanics of nursing and the clinical complications; feeding difficulties, oral-motor delays, and latch issues that caregivers encounter in the field.

• Deborah Donohue, RN, BSN Widely known and loved as “The Traveling Baby Nurse,” Deb has been providing in home postpartum care for over 20 years, in addition to her role as Head Nurse in NICU and Labor & Delivery Units across the country. Deb is also a CPR Instructor and a contributor to WebMD as well published articles in the Washington Post and other publications. Deb’s combination of NICU nursing and 20 years of in-home postpartum care means she reviews the curriculum from both the clinical and lived perspective, the gap most credentialing programs never close. This combination of clinical, academic and in-home experience makes Deb uniquely qualified to contribute to the Advisory Board.

• Cathy Ennis, RN – A Registered Nurse since 1985, Cathy’s clinical experience is in Labor and Delivery, Mother/Baby and NICU. Cathy is a new parent educator and a postpartum visiting nurse with us at Let Mommy Sleep. Cathy gives ongoing feedback from working with families in the field. Cathy’s role in postpartum early intervention and breastfeeding success bridges the 6 week healthcare gap that occurs between discharge and the first OB/GYN check-up.
  
• Jordan Stubblefield, IBCLC – Jordan is an IBCLC at StoneSprings Hospital Center in Loudoun County, VA. providing inpatient, evidence-based lactation support to diverse postpartum families, including both routine and high-risk dyads. Jordan also offers ongoing education and clinical support to registered nurses to promote consistent, evidence-based infant feeding practices across the unit. Jordan has also been an in-person instructor of NAPS and a newborn care provider to many families. All of this experience gives Jordan the depth and breadth of authentic knowledge the newborn and postpartum care curriculum.

The NAPS Night Doula Certificate is the only newborn care credential with this level of independent clinical oversight. Enroll at newborncarecertified.com/classes/ or find a NAPS-certified caregiver at letmommysleep.com.