Held, so you can rest.

Introductions to Houston newborn-care specialists who've already said yes to your dates — in their own words. Flat, published fees — and the biggest is due only if you hire. You're in charge of every decision.

You're up at 3am because the baby is up at 3am.

If you're searching for "night nurse," here's the honest version: many people called that aren't licensed nurses. They're newborn care specialists, night nannies, and postpartum doulas — and only someone licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing is a nurse.

On a 12-week, 3-nights-a-week engagement, two Houston agencies' published fees come to about $2,000–$3,850+. Shorter engagements cost less there — see the table. With Held Hello, the largest fee is due only if you hire a specialist we introduce.

Get the free Cost Guide See how introductions work ↓

The problem

Parents describe the first months as running on empty — and say even two full nights of sleep a week changed everything.

(Drawn from public parent forums.)

Needing help doesn't make you a bad parent. It makes you a tired one.

How it works (5 steps, all by email)

1. Get the free Cost Guide.

Houston rates, the agency-fee math, and a checklist for interviewing and checking a specialist yourself.

2. Check fit — free.

Tell us your area, dates, nights and budget. We check the registry first — if we can't fill your search yet, we say so and take nothing. You're on the free waitlist until we can.

Check fit — free

3. Open your search — one purchase, two stages.

The Intro Pack is $349, paid in two stages. Stage 1: $149 opens your search, credited in full. Stage 2: the $200 balance, charged when you confirm to proceed after your intake — before introductions begin. Paying the balance never restarts your 14-day window.

4. Get 3 introductions.

Within 14 days of opening your search — payment received and your intake form done — you get 3 introductions by email, or money back automatically. Each introduction is a named specialist who saw your request — your dates, area, scope, and budget, with no name attached — and said yes to it. Her self-reported schedule, rate band, and stated experience fit your search.

Each profile is written by the specialist herself — her experience, her rate, her availability, her public links — and shows the date she last confirmed that availability. An introduction is fit-matched only against a profile whose availability confirmation is current — she re-confirmed within the last 30 days. You interview her and decide for yourself.

5. Hire directly — $750 Hire Fee, only if you hire.

If you hire a specialist we introduced — now or within 6 months, however you reach her — a flat $750 Hire Fee is due, once per baby however many of our introductions you hire. A hire is the specialist's first paid shift for your family. The $750 Hire Fee is due within 7 days of that first paid shift. Two protections are part of the definition: no Hire Fee is due on a specialist your family had direct contact with before our introduction (tell us at intake or when you confirm a hire — prior contact takes her outside the fee entirely), and if a hire ends within 7 days of the first paid shift, the Hire Fee is waived. You pay her directly; she keeps 100% of her rate.

No percentage of anyone's salary. No subscription. No auto-renew. Ever.

What we don't do — printed here on purpose

Held Hello is a private introduction service. We are not an agency and we do not provide care.

We do not background-check, credential, schedule, supervise, or guarantee any specialist. Profiles are self-reported — the specialist's own words, labeled as such. You interview, check references, hire, and pay directly.

Our part is the search: contacting self-listed specialists, following up on their stated availability, and matching that information to your request. We provide introductions and a checklist for your own checks.

Our remedy is in writing below.

The remedy, in writing

If we deliver fewer than 3 fit-matched introductions in 14 days:

  • 1–2 delivered → we refund the undelivered share automatically — $116.33 if 2 were delivered, $232.67 if 1 was. Reply within 3 business days of the window closing if you'd rather have a free second round instead.
  • 0 delivered → everything you paid comes back: $349.

The second round happens only if you affirmatively choose it — if you don't choose within 3 business days, the refund issues on day 4. If the second round also under-delivers, the refund is issued by default again, for the share still undelivered.

We issue refunds within 10 business days of your window closing — you don't have to ask. Your bank may take a few more days to show it. No forms, no phone tag.

What it costs

These are introduction and agency fees. You pay the specialist's care rate separately.

Held HelloHouston agencies
To start Free cost guide $200–$300 registration (non-refundable)
To get introductions $149 search (credited) + $200 pack balance Included in their fees
When you hire $750 flat Hire Fee 15–25% of the contract
Background checks / screening Not provided — the guide shows you how to check Included where the agency says so
All-in to a hire (12-week engagement) $1,099 $2,000–$3,850+ on a 12-week engagement (published fees, two Houston agencies)
All-in to a hire (4-week engagement) $1,099 About $800–$1,450 at the same agencies' published minimums
If we can't deliver 3 introductions Refund per the remedy above Registration fee kept

Held Hello is a private introduction service — not an agency, not an employer, not a care provider. We do not background-check, verify, schedule, or guarantee any specialist. Profiles are self-reported, in the specialist's own words. Parents interview, check references, hire, and pay specialists directly.

Sample profiles

Illustrative sample written by Held Hello — not a real specialist. Real introductions use this format, in each specialist's own words.

“Dana” — Newborn Care Specialist

“Nine years of overnights, including four sets of twins and two preemies who came home on monitors. I keep a written log all night — feeds, diapers, how long settling took — so you wake up knowing exactly how the night went. I am quiet in a house, and I leave the nursery the way I found it.”
Her stated rate:
$48/hr
Service area:
Katy, Richmond, and the Memorial villages
Availability (self-reported):
Booking from late November; 4–5 nights a week
Public links:
Shared in the introduction email

Illustrative sample written by Held Hello — not a real specialist. Real introductions use this format, in each specialist's own words.

“Keisha” — Night Nanny

“Six years caring for newborns overnight, most of them first babies. Parents tell me the best part is the morning handoff: a calm baby, a written log, and coffee already made. I am comfortable with breast milk handling and paced bottle feeding, and I follow whatever sleep approach your family has chosen.”
Her stated rate:
$38/hr
Service area:
The Heights, Montrose, Midtown, and Garden Oaks
Availability (self-reported):
Two nights a week open now; more from mid-December
Public links:
Shared in the introduction email

Illustrative sample written by Held Hello — not a real specialist. Real introductions use this format, in each specialist's own words.

“Ana” — Postpartum Doula

“My work is the whole household's first weeks, not only the baby: daytime support, overnight newborn care, a fed and rested parent, and a plan for siblings who are adjusting. I speak English and Spanish. Families usually book me for the first six weeks, two to four visits a week, and we adjust together as the baby changes.”
Her stated rate:
$42/hr
Service area:
Sugar Land, Pearland, and Missouri City
Availability (self-reported):
Booking January due dates now
Public links:
Shared in the introduction email

FAQ

Are the specialists background-checked?

No. Each profile describes her own experience and any references she chooses to share. We don't contact them; you do. That information is self-reported.

The guide gives you questions and checks to run yourself. If you want someone to screen for you, look for an agency that explicitly provides that service.

What does "fit-matched" mean?

The specialist's self-reported schedule, rate band, and stated experience fit what you asked for. It's a fit check, not a quality judgment. You decide whom to interview and hire.

Do specialists pay to be listed?

Never. Not a fee, not a commission, not a percentage. Parents pay for introductions; specialists keep 100% of their rate.

What if I don't like anyone?

You can decline every introduction. If we deliver the agreed fit-matched introductions and you choose not to hire, the $349 covers the introductions.

And if a specialist doesn't answer your first message within 3 business days, tell us — that introduction doesn't count and we replace it.

The remedy above covers under-delivery. Declining is normal. Nobody is ever assigned to you.

Is there a contract or subscription?

No subscription and no auto-renew. There is a short agreement — our terms — including the $750 Hire Fee if you hire someone we introduced within 6 months. We set no minimum nights; each specialist states her own, and it's in her introduction. You hire the specialist directly on your own terms.

What about taxes?

If you hire a specialist into your home, you may be her household employer for tax purposes. That depends on the working arrangement; a contract alone doesn't determine it. The Cost Guide explains the "nanny tax" in plain language.

Can someone give this as a gift?

Grandparents, family, and friends can pay for the search and Intro Pack as a gift. The parents hold the search, complete the intake, and have the same refund protection and choice of a free second round. The buyer receives a receipt and no information about the search itself. Any refund returns to the buyer's card, because refunds can only go to the original payment method.

What if we have another baby?

A new search for a second baby uses the same prices. Rehiring a specialist we already introduced you to, extending her engagement, or finishing remedy introductions never costs anything extra from Held Hello.

Do you serve my area?

Houston metro for now — one city at a time, before anywhere else.

Start with the free Cost Guide

The Cost Guide is free. It explains what night help costs in Houston, including how to do the whole search yourself.

If you'd rather we did the searching, that's the $149 Search Fee.

Get the free Cost Guide

Held Hello · Serving Houston · mailing address Port Arthur, TX · hello by email only.