Why I became a Sleep Consultant

I remember when I was a Mom with an infant daughter that was waking up constantly throughout the night. I needed better sleep so badly and yet I felt paralyzed to make the situation any better. My lack of sleep was preventing me from addressing the situation rationally and seeking information and support. Most of my Mom friends had babies that were sleeping so much better than my own.  I was so tired, felt like I was definitely doing something wrong and then began to isolate myself a bit. In my mind, sleep training was simply letting your child cry for hours and it didn’t seem like an option I was willing to take at the time.

When my children were a bit older I began to support new families as a postpartum night doula. As I began to work overnights I was introduced to such a range of infant sleep. I realized that babies have such different temperaments and that there are so many ways to help “shape” a baby’s sleep and to help them sleep longer and go back to sleep on their own. We all wake many times throughout the night, but we know we are safe, and then we go back to sleep. When we help babies learn to fall asleep on their own, we teach them this precious gift that they will use throughout the night to fall back asleep on their own (unless they are still being fed in the night). This helps them to connect their sleep cycles and actually wake more rested.

After years of supporting families at night and seeing first hand all of the sleep challenges and the improvements that can be made, I was inspired to become a Certified Sleep Consultant through the Center for Pediatric Sleep Management. I want to help families find the sleep training approach that works best for their parenting style, then coach them along the way so they can see major improvements in sleep. Being a new parent is hard enough when you are rested! Being chronically sleep deprived begins to take away some of the joy - at least it did for me and many of the parents I have worked with over the years.