Overnight Postpartum Doula · Chicago
You already know how to do this. You just need to sleep.Overnight postpartum doula & night nurse in Chicago.
This isn’t your first baby. That’s exactly why it’s harder. There is no napping when the baby naps — there’s a preschool pickup, a work inbox, and a three-year-old who needs the version of you that can still be patient at 5 p.m.
I take the nights. You get 8 to 12 uninterrupted hours of sleep in your own bed, while a registered nurse with a Yale MSN in nurse-midwifery cares for your newborn down the hall.
RN · Yale MSN Nurse-Midwifery · CPR certified · Featured in the documentary High Risk · One family at a time
If this is you
You deserve rest, too.
- You are running on four broken hours and calling it fine.
- You've started resenting the 2 a.m. wake-up, and then feeling guilty for resenting it.
- Your older child keeps asking why mommy is tired, and you don't have a good answer.
- Your partner is back at work, and the nights have quietly become yours alone.
- You keep saying you'll ask for help after you get through this week. It has been eleven weeks.
Sleep deprivation is not a personality flaw or a phase to white-knuckle. It is the single biggest factor in how postpartum feels — in your mood, your milk supply, your patience, and your recovery. One good night changes the next day. A string of them changes the whole season.
Verified reviews
What families say after the first full night.
“My postpartum doula, Ashleigh Evans, comes over a few nights a week and has truly been a God-send.”
“Ashleigh was a nighttime postpartum doula for my son, Owen. Ashleigh not only met but exceeded my expectations. She was so incredibly in tune and attentive to my newborn's needs. On top of that, she was in tune with my needs as well, ensuring that I felt seen and cared for. For families that require care and discreet nighttime support, I cannot recommend Ashleigh enough as a night nurse and newborn care specialist.”
“[Ashleigh] has been an absolute blessing for our family, providing exceptional care with a warm and nurturing demeanor that instantly put us at ease.”
“Ashleigh was a phenomenal doula. She managed my evening care at a postnatal retreat and tended to both my physical and emotional needs. She helped me talk through the complex feelings surrounding my birth experience and we created goals for me that were appropriate and boosted my confidence. Ashleigh helped me to calm my mind and focus on my body and my newborn. I left the retreat feeling well rested and grounded. Ashleigh's clinical knowledge was also impressive. She was able to guide me through recovery while remaining gentle.”
“Ashleigh helped our family get more rest and recovery with our 6 week old son. She came for overnight visits and helped me establish and continue exclusive breastfeeding and then helped change, burp, and settle our little one. She always practiced safe sleep which made us feel comfortable. We would highly recommend Ashleigh and welcome her to help our family again in the future.”
“I had a great experience with Ashleigh. She is really personable and easy to talk to. She was great with my two month old baby. Connected easily with her and even found a creak in the floor that got her to sleep. I highly recommend Ashleigh as a doula.”
Additional reviews published on my DoulaMatch profile.
Investment
Nights in 8, 10, and 12-hour shifts.
$55
per hour
For contracts under 10 hours per night.
$50
per hour
For contracts of 10 or more hours per night — the best value for full-night coverage.
Because I serve one family at a time, my calendar fills by commitment, not inquiry. If you have a due date or a stretch of nights in mind, reach out now so I can hold them for you.
Checking your dates?
Ask about your nights now. No commitment.
Tell me your due date or your baby’s age, and I’ll reply personally with whether I can take your nights — and exactly what a night together would look like. No sales pitch, no pressure.
Overnight postpartum doula services in Chicago
You hand me the baby. You go to bed.
I work nights only as a postpartum doula and night nurse, taking one Chicago family at a time. While you sleep, I handle newborn care, feeding support, safe sleep, and the quiet emotional load that comes with a second or third baby.
Full newborn care while you sleep
Diapering, changing, burping, soothing, and settling — all of it happens on my side of the door so you stay horizontal.
Feeding support, your way
Bottle prep and pace feeding, or bringing baby to you for a breastfeed and taking them right back after. Exclusive breastfeeding, combo, formula — no judgment, only support.
Safe sleep, every single night
Safe sleep practices are non-negotiable in my care. Families tell me this is the part that finally let them stop hovering on the monitor.
A clinically trained set of eyes
I'm an RN with a Yale MSN in nurse-midwifery, and CPR certified. If something looks off with you or the baby at 3 a.m., you're not Googling it alone.
Emotional processing, not just tasks
Second and third births carry their own grief and complexity. There is space here to talk it through with someone who has heard it before.
A calmer morning handoff
You wake up to a reset space, a fed baby, notes on the night, and enough energy to be the mother your older kids still need at 7 a.m.
Meet Ashleigh
A nurse at the bedside, a doula in the nursery.
I’m Ashleigh Evans, founder of Joy and Peace Birth Services in Chicago. I’m a registered nurse with a Yale MSN in nurse-midwifery, CPR certified, and I’ve spent years serving families through the hardest hours of the night.
I’m also featured in High Risk, the documentary on Black maternal mortality in America. Being part of that film is part of why I do this work: every mother deserves care that sees her, hears her, and keeps her safe — in the hospital and at home at 3 a.m.
I work nights only, and I take one family at a time. That means your household gets my full attention — not a rotating roster, not a scheduling app. I speak English and Spanish, I’m great with every dog and cat I’ve met, and I support twins and multiples.
What clients tend to remember isn’t the clinical piece. It’s that they felt safe enough to say the hard things out loud at 1 a.m., and rested enough by morning to feel like themselves again.
Honest answers
The questions second-time moms actually ask.
- I did this before without help. Why hire a doula now?
- Because this time is not the same. The first time, you could sleep when the baby slept. Now there's a toddler at 6:30 a.m., a school run, and a house that keeps needing you. Second-time moms are the most sleep-deprived clients I see — not because they know less, but because they have less room to recover.
- What exactly happens overnight?
- I arrive at the agreed time, you hand off the baby and go to bed. I handle all feeds, changes, and soothing through the night. If you're breastfeeding, I bring the baby to you for feeds and take over everything else — the burping, settling, and re-swaddling. Before I leave, I reset bottles and the nursery and give you a short recap of the night.
- What does it cost?
- $55/hour for contracts under 10 hours per night, and $50/hour for contracts of 10 or more hours. Shifts are available in 8, 10, and 12-hour increments. I take one family at a time, so nights are reserved on a first-committed basis.
- Will the baby stop bonding with me if someone else does the nights?
- No. Rest is what makes bonding possible. Mothers who sleep are more patient, more present, and more able to read their baby's cues. Handing off the 2 a.m. shift is not outsourcing motherhood — it's protecting your capacity for it.
- How far out should I book?
- Most families reach out in the third trimester, but I regularly start with families who are already 4 to 8 weeks postpartum and finally admitting the exhaustion isn't lifting. Either is fine. Because I serve one family at a time, earlier means more choice of dates.
- Where do you serve, and do you handle twins?
- Chicago and within about 25 miles, including Oak Park, Evanston, Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, and the North Shore. Yes to twins and multiples, and yes to homes with dogs and cats. I offer nights only.
- What is an overnight postpartum doula?
- An overnight postpartum doula—sometimes called a night nurse or newborn care specialist—comes to your home for an 8, 10, or 12-hour shift to care for your newborn while you sleep. I handle feeds, diapers, soothing, safe sleep, and bring the baby to you if you're breastfeeding.
- Are you a night nurse or a doula?
- Both, in practice. I'm a registered nurse with a Yale MSN in nurse-midwifery, so families often call me their 'night nurse.' I also work as an overnight postpartum doula, which means I focus on the whole family: your rest, your feeding goals, your recovery, and the emotional side of adding a baby.