Newborn Baby Sleeping in night nanny's hands during daytime care in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg & Tampa Bay’s Premier Night Nanny, Newborn Care Specialist & Postpartum Doula

PROFESSIONAL OVERNIGHT NEWBORN CARE, NIGHT NANNY SERVICES, AND POSTPARTUM SUPPORT FOR GROWING FAMILIES IN ST. PETERSBURG, SOUTH TAMPA, AND THE GREATER TAMPA BAY AREA.

A new baby is a big change. I can help!

WELCOME TO SUNSHINE CITY DOULA

Hi and welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m Emily — the hands and heart behind Sunshine City Doula. I’m a certified Newborn Care Specialist, Postpartum Doula, and Night Nanny based in St. Petersburg, proudly serving families across the Tampa Bay Area. With over a decade of hands-on experience and more than 100 families served, I’m passionate about helping new parents thrive during the early stages of parenthood.

Whether it’s helping your baby establish healthy sleep habits, offering expert feeding and lactation guidance, providing overnight care so you can get much needed rest, or simply being a supportive presence during those early postpartum days, I’m dedicated to making your journey into parenthood as smooth and joyful as possible.

Explore my services

OVERNIGHT NEWBORN CARE

Get a good night’s sleep knowing your baby is taken care of.

DAYTIME NEWBORN CARE

Daytime support from birth through baby’s first year of life.

POSTPARTUM DOULA SUPPORT

Compassionate postpartum care for growing families.

Sweet words from amazing clients

  • “Having Emily with us during those first few months was truly life-changing. From the very first night, we felt completely at ease knowing our daughter was in such capable, loving hands. Emily brought a warm and confident presence into our home and helped us navigate those long nights with reassurance and practical guidance. She supported us through feeding challenges, answered all of our questions without judgment, and offered helpful insights we never would’ve thought of on our own. We woke up every morning feeling rested, which is something I never thought was possible with a newborn. Her presence made such a difference in our experience as new parents, and we can't imagine having done it without her.”

    - Michelle and Erick P.

    St. Petersburg, FL

  • "We hired Emily for overnight support for the first 4 months after birth, and I truly wish we could've extended care through the first year! Not only is Emily extremely knowledgeable about newborns and postpartum - but she is well-versed in all aspects of infants-toddler care, milestones, development, feeding.. everything! Honestly, I would’ve kept her forever if I was able to! Emily made me feel empowered as a first-time mom and gave me the compassionate support I needed in such a vulnerable time. She is worth her weight in gold."

    -Kathleen S

    St. Petersburg, FL

  • “We initially hired a night nanny and had a bad experience, so I was really hesitant to trust someone new, but I was desperate for sleep and support. Emily’s qualifications immediately stood out, and her warm, confident presence sealed the deal. We needed help fast, and Emily showed up for overnight care that very night.

    You can tell this work is her calling. Every question we had, she answered with confidence and clarity. We especially appreciated her up-to-date, evidence-based approach. It was such a relief knowing the person caring for our newborn was not just trained, but deeply experienced and genuinely knowledgeable. Emily was everything we could have hoped for and more.”

    - Lisa and Christian M.

    South Tampa, FL

  • "Our 10-week old was struggling with sleep due to us (mom and dad) not setting up a routine, and also due to some serious postpartum anxiety. I reached out to Emily for help and not only did she help us get our baby on a predictable day and night routine, but she helped ease my anxiety tremendously. Our baby went from waking every 45min - 1hour at night and needing a lot of assistance to go back to sleep (replacing paci 100 times, rocking to sleep, you know the drill), to falling asleep independently and only waking once for a feed. With Emily’s guidance, our baby eventually was sleeping 10-12 hour overnight stretches! I can’t thank Emily enough for her help and patience working with our family to help us ALL get proper rest and support. She was a blessing to our family. I cannot recommend her enough!"

    - Rachel G.

    St. Pete Beach, FL

  • “Emily has been a huge help in giving us the tools and resources needed to get on the right path to healthy sleep patterns for our 4-month old. I am grateful for her support and the wealth of knowledge that she has provided to us. She has given us the confidence as parents to move forward with a routine that is customized to our family, and we can finally see the light at the end of tunnel!”

    - Rachel P

    St. Petersburg, FL

SUPPORTING FAMILIES FROM BIRTH THROUGH BABY’S FIRST YEAR OF LIFE.

My goal is to make your transition to parenthood as peaceful as possible. Whether you need 6 weeks or 6 months of support, daytime or overnight, I’ll be there to support you every step of the way.

Certified Postpartum Doula in Tampa St. Petersburg | Emily Christy
Newborn Care Specialist in St. Petersburg, Florida trained by Newborn Care Solutions
NCSA Member Newborn Care Specialist in Tampa Bay Area

  • It's best to contact me as early as possible to ensure availability, especially if you would like to guarantee services on/around your EDD. As a highly sought out newborn care specialist, I tend to book up 3-6+ months in advance, and even up to 12 months in advance at times. However, I always do my best to accommodate last-minute requests whenever possible. I book on a first come first serve basis, in that I do not hold my availability until a contract is signed and the retainer for services is paid.

    1. Submit an inquiry form
      Start by filling out the inquiry form. Once I receive your submission, I’ll be in touch to schedule a phone call or in-person meeting to learn more.

    2. Confirm dates and hours
      Following our consultation, we’ll finalize the mutually agreed-upon dates and hours for care. A formal contract will then be sent.

    3. Sign contract & submit retainer
      To secure your dates, a retainer is required at the time of signing. Retainer amounts vary based on the length of the contract and are applied to the final weeks of service.

    4. Booking confirmed
      Once the retainer is received and the contract is signed, your booking will be confirmed and your dates officially added to the schedule.

  • A Newborn Care Specialist usually starts with a family on the day they bring baby home from the hospital or the day of home birth and stays typically for up to 3-4 months to guide and educate new parents and offer hands-on care to the newborn(s) to help establish feeding, routine, and healthy sleep habits. Most often, a Newborn Care Specialist will handle the overnight care so that a new parent can rest and recover from birth or adapt to new parenthood if the baby is adopted or via surrogate. If required, an NCS will offer around-the-clock or daytime support as well.


  • A Newborn Care Specialist is explicitly trained in all aspects of newborn care and will have many years of experience with families during the first few months with a newborn. They will be able to help parents feel confident in their care of their precious newborn and will be familiar with common issues such as reflux and have proven solutions and resources to help. A Night Nanny works typically under the direct guidance of the parents, they may or may not have any formal education in the care of newborns, and this is often an add on to their daytime work.

  • These terms are widely used interchangeably. Most parents are looking for exceptional care for their newborns, rest, and guidance in the earliest weeks of parenthood. Unless your baby has medical needs like a feeding tube, heart monitors, etc. Then you are likely looking for the support and care I provide.

  • Yes, with a “listening ear”. The rest your specialist gets while at your home is not restful, hard sleep. When your baby wakes, your specialist will be right there to comfort and care for them throughout the night.