Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa O’Neill.
As a Registered Nurse specializing in NICU and Labor & Delivery for over twelve years, Melissa is also a mother of three. A dedicated professional, she is a tremendous source of information for new parents and is passionate about sharing her knowledge about the best possible baby care. After the birth of her first child, she became increasingly interested in newborn sleep and saw a need for quality in-home newborn care and education for parents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Melissa founded Newborn Nightingales in 2012 and is committed to helping parents establish a nurturing, caring and calm environment. She places only the most qualified Nurses and Nightingales, training all of her team members on best practices for developmentally appropriate newborn care and fostering great sleep. Melissa is additionally on the board for the Mother’s Milk Bank of North Texas and contributes to local mother/baby charities in the metroplex.
Has it been a smooth road?
Learning to start and run a business has been the biggest challenge. As a nurse, I have clinical, teaching and management experience. I have learned the business side of things along the way and would love to get my MBA someday. I would also say balancing long hours, working on weekends, holidays, and while on vacation has been a learning curve but just part of owning a company. I love what I do, I have an incredibly supporting family, I have the best team by my side and our clients couldn’t be more wonderful, so it’s all worth it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Newborn Nightingales – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Newborn Nightingales was started after finding DFW lacked a professional resource for newborn support at home. Bringing home a newborn is a challenging time. Many families need support, especially if they have multiples, a preemie, other children at home or no maternity leave. This is where we come in with nighttime care and consultations.
The Nurses and Nightingales help at night, typically 9 pm-6 am. They are a valuable resource for all things baby. They will foster healthy, safe sleep and troubleshoot any concerns families have. They care for the baby through the night, and parents get a good night’s rest and regain energy. Having nighttime support improves recovery time, strengthens parental relationships, decreases risk for postpartum depression and supports healthy breastfeeding.
Additionally, newborn care and sleep consultations are offered. While sleep and feedings are the most common concerns parents have, sleep associations, routines, sleep environment, circadian rhythm, development, swaddling, safe sleep, health, and soothing techniques are all important in fostering great sleepers early on. The consultations adapt to each family and I make sure all their questions are answered before I leave and include follow up email support for questions that come up later. It’s never too late to work on sleep, so consultations can be done into the toddler years too.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
This is where I will always call home. I have lived in DFW most of my life. I graduated from TCU and my first RN position was in the NICU at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. I value all the roots I have here now. There’s nothing better than running into families years later and hearing about how well they are sleeping.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
newbornnightingales.com - Phone: 2146321673
- Email: melissa@
newbornnightingales.com - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
newbornnightingales - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
newbornnightingales
Image Credit:
https://www.kraeimages.com
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