Two Nurses Turned Late-Night Advice into a Big Business

Fever? Vomiting? Fussiness? How do you manage the first night home from the hospital with a new baby? These were just a few of the hundreds of questions parents asked Atlanta-based pediatric nurses Jennifer Walker and Laura Hunter late into the night.

Turning an Unmet Need into a Business

It was the mid-1990s, and theirs was the only practice in the city offering nursing answers 7/24. Hunter and Walker worked on-call shifts from home, talking with many of the practice’s families.

The pair repeatedly received the same questions from panicked parents. While supporting families, they realized they were filling the gap between medical advice and parenting advice.

“Parents called us at 2:00 in the morning with every kind of concern, and that is how ‘Moms on Call’ was born,” Walker said.

Decades later, Walker and Hunter turned that experience, empathy, and expertise into a successful business. Often described as an “instruction manual for babies,” Moms on Call has enabled the two nurses to advise more than 10,000 families. Along the way, they sold more than a million books, developed an extensive pool of online resources, and trained others in their techniques. How did they do it?

A Binder, a Swaddle, and a Mission

Walker and Hunter literally wrote a book on helping people navigate new parenthood. At first, however, it was not really a book. “It was a computer-printed binder containing those incoming questions,” Hunter recalled. They developed a way to approach each call using a specific protocol of their own design.

“What if we went to [the patient’s] home and helped them figure it out?” Walker recalled a pediatrician colleague suggesting in 2002. Hunter’s swaddling technique, for example, which calmed even the fussiest babies, was much more effective when demonstrated in person.

The pair began home visits with new parents. Their advice would be practical rather than medical. Because they were not classified as visiting nurses, they drew a clear line against discussing “major medical issues.”

“We went into homes in Atlanta with that binder, helping parents where they were with nail trimming, bathing, and feeding — whether by bottle or breast,” Hunter said.

The physicians they worked with began recommending their services. Walker joked that, initially, they did not know what they were doing and considered refunding their first clients. But parents needed what they offered: advice, reassurance, and confidence in parenting.

Just 6-8 weeks into the venture, other practices began asking whether the nurses could do the same for them.

This offered a solution to the limitations of 15-minute office visits. “We helped with those questions so that, when [the babies] came for their well visits, the questions had already been answered. We did not just visit their homes; we supported them after leaving, too,” Hunter said.

The Ripple Effect

The results were striking. “Babies were sleeping through the night. Parents became more confident. We had not expected these results and were amazed at how consistent they were,” Walker said. “Laura and I could not believe how effective partnering with parents became once we applied these basic principles.”

Local pediatricians appreciated their help. For the nurses, however, it was about accompanying families. They have countless stories of desperate parents, marriages “on the brink of disaster,” and moments when they realized their work was creating a ripple effect.

One military family stands out in Walker’s memory. “The father was overseas fighting for our country,” she recalled, “and his wife was struggling alone at home.”

Support from Moms on Call made a powerful difference. “When the father came home, he presented Laura with a flag and a beautiful personal note expressing his gratitude,” Walker recalled. “Once his wife had an advocate and felt confident and rested, the husband could be at ease, too. We did what he could not, and it made all the difference. Ultimately, that was what he was fighting for.”

An Unexpected Opportunity

After working as Moms on Call for 1-2 years, they received an unexpected call from the famous singer Kenny Rogers, who needed help with his twins.

Hunter recalled, “As he looked through the binder, he said, ‘It is not copyrighted yet. That will be taken care of tomorrow morning.’”

The next day, Rogers’s lawyers called with all the necessary information. Hunter added, “He told us, ‘You have something valuable. Send this binder to a self-publishing company. Build a website. It will cost a few thousand dollars, but it is worth it,’” she said. The business officially began in 2004.

Rogers’s other advice: “You cannot hit the target without taking a few shots. This is worth a few shots.”

They Do Not Teach This in Nursing School

The nurses redesigned their material as a book supported by a DVD, because practical skills such as clearing a baby’s nose were difficult to teach without demonstrating them. They also chose a simple outline format, easier for tired parents seeking information quickly. Some publishers opposed these ideas, but the nurses persisted and ultimately self-published the first edition.

Their first website was simple, made by Walker’s Aunt Janet. Their strongest marketing tool, however, was grateful clients who told friends and family about the help they had received. The message was that parents know their children best and can be empowered to help them rather than relying solely on professionals.

A community of families also helped guide the business. For example, a client who was a mergers and acquisitions lawyer helped them establish their LLC (Limited Liability Company). Walker described it this way: “They do not teach these things in nursing school,” she said.

Walker also discussed their mistakes. “Not everyone we encountered thought or felt the same way about building a business focused on helping families. Sometimes that meant offering services for free or turning down partnerships that did not fit our business model.”

Walker and Hunter focused on creating several ways to access their advice at different prices. Initially, home visits cost approximately 75 dollars. (Today, a visit by one of the CEOs costs around 1000 dollars.) Books, the app, and online resources support people unable to access those services, while 10 additional in-home consultants across the country also contribute.

Certain moments confirmed that they were on the right path and clarified their purpose. Walker described them this way: “A client choosing us as a [baby] shower gift. Being able to support a clinic in Kenya or military families around the world. Helping families realize they are not alone and can get some sleep.”

On Call Everywhere, 7/24…

Moms on Call’s early days were also a balancing act. With 10 children between them, Walker and Hunter handled calls everywhere while balancing work and home. One friend and caller joked that Hunter was at a supermarket checkout while advising her about her son’s vomiting.

“We were still trying to care for the children and run our homes, and neither Laura nor I had a babysitter, night nurse, or cleaner,” Hunter said. “But being on call also allowed us to be at home.”

Walker recalled taking calls while driving to games with her children. Even at 8, they could sit in the car and repeat the advice given for a baby’s fever. “It was like a family affair, and our children could see how their mothers worked,” she said.

Throughout the process, Walker and Hunter were motivated by knowing that thousands of parents were pleading for help and that they had an answer.

“Our shoulders have absorbed the tears of exhausted, hurting parents, some of whom had been lied to or told their children would never sleep or had to be raised a particular way. When someone steals the confidence of a person, especially a new parent overwhelmed by information, it makes us want to shout the truth from every rooftop and digital channel,” Walker added.

Have a Business Idea?

Healthcare professionals “on the ground” often notice opportunities to serve patients who might fall through gaps in the healthcare system. Although not every idea becomes a full business, Hunter encourages breaking ideas into “small pieces.” Just have the next conversation.

Ask What People Need

“Ask the people around you and those brought to you,” Hunter said. Looking back, the nurses can see how the pieces of the puzzle needed to fit together. “Ask everyone you know,” Hunter advised. “And talk with the people you care for. They probably have a skill that can help you reach the next small piece.”

Build a network of people who believe in your idea. Prioritize those relationships and see where they may lead.

The close relationship between Walker and Hunter, as business partners and friends, was also essential. They joke about finishing one another’s sentences and food. “You have to fight for it — and we prioritize [the relationship],” Walker said.

Finally, remember why you do what you do, Walker said. “These are the people we help: wonderful people whose jobs serve us all — an airline pilot, an anesthesiologist, a pediatrician, a single father. They are all parents who have felt lonely and exhausted. In those lonely moments in a parent’s heart, when they fear they are doing something wrong, we want to be a voice of hope,” she added.