Adequate Sleep is Life Changing

When my husband and I had our first child over seven years ago, we were totally oblivious as to what caring for a newborn would be like. Most of our friends weren’t in the same life stage as us yet, and our parents hadn’t had a baby in 25 years. We were just kind of figuring it out on our own (and Googling EVERYTHING). 

While both parents have a lot to learn after bringing a new baby home, we mamas bear the brunt of the newborn struggles – all while dealing with a healing body, crazy hormones, and lack of sleep. These new stressors (combined with going back to work for many) are enough to overwhelm a person who’s getting enough sleep. But what about the those who aren’t?  

That was me seven years ago. Working full-time, pumping 5 times a day, and getting up multiple times a night with a 3-month-old who wouldn’t sleep more than 2-3 hours straight. Something had to give, and then we found the Sleep Sense^TM program. Thank God for Sleep Sense^TM! Within a few nights, our sweet boy was sleeping 11-12 hours straight, and I was quickly feeling like myself again…IT WAS LIFE CHANGING! I was a better wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, and co-worker all because I was well rested. The program also helped me get kids 2 and 3 on the fast track to learning great sleep skills from the start, and I’m happy to report we’re all very well rested in the Smith household. And I want the same for all families, which is why I became a Certified Sleep Sense^TM Consultant.

“There was never a child so lovely, but his mother was glad to get him to sleep.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why hire a sleep consultant? 

There’s a lot of information available out there about sleep for babies – numerous online articles, books, advice from friends and family (and the old lady at the grocery store). Your mother managed to get you to sleep at some point. It seems your friends’ kids are great sleepers. There are so many answers out there – but maybe that’s the problem, not the solution. 

Most of the time, my clients are parents who have already gone that route – try one thing one night, another thing the next night, but never really stick with anything. Solutions that work for one parent don’t necessarily work for another, because each child’s sleep issues are not the same. One baby may be heavily reliant on a sleep prop. Another is overtired since he’s not getting enough daytime sleep. Another may have developed an association between feeding and falling asleep. While another might be ready to drop one of her daytime naps. And it could be any combination of the above, or any of the other common sleep challenges parents experience with their children.

In our immediate gratification culture, many parents are looking for a magic solution to work overnight, but unfortunately, sleep is complicated and that’s not how it works. As your professional sleep consultant, I have the expertise and training necessary to identify your child’s individual sleep issues, and then I’ll work with you to develop a customized plan addressing them. I’ll also provide much-needed support along the way, including any course corrections, and encouragement to help you follow through on that plan until it starts to work.  

In a perfect world, all children would come pre-programmed with the skills they need to experience a beautiful night’s sleep every night (and some just naturally do it on their own). But if that doesn’t happen for you and your family, reaching out to a professional sleep consultant, like me, could be the solution you’ve been searching for.

Cheers to raising the next generation of super sleepers!

Nichole