In 2013 I became a mom. I met my child for the first time, and it is safe to say, my boat was rocked. A joyous time quickly became stressful, convoluted, and riddled with anxiety, when this little one refused to sleep.
“You’re holding him too much.” “Put him down when he is drowsy, but awake!”
“Just let him cry it out!” “He has to learn to self-soothe.”
These were the words I kept hearing from well-meaning friends, and family. I threw my own instincts out the window, and began to listen to everyone else’s advice. My husband and I attempted our own “sleep training”. After one failed night of “pick-up, put-down” and two failed nights of “controlled crying” I found my stress peaking and decided to hire a professional sleep consultant to help.
I connected with a well-known baby sleep coach and began to experience a shift. Sleep was no longer MY problem alone. Someone else cared to hear how it was going. And I felt like a parent far more experienced was leading me. But after the dust cleared, I began to question the process we used to get our child to sleep. Had what we done been the best thing for our child? For us as a couple? And had it considered our lifelong attachment?
These questions are what inspire me every day. I became a certified sleep consultant because I am passionate about the transformation a family can make when they are sleeping. I created sleep courses to bring more families this thoughtful approach.