I had followed the schedules in my baby books precisely, but my 5 month old daughter wasn’t aligning with them… was it me…was it her? I spent hours by her cot with a baby text book in one hand and a white noise machine in the other wondering what the hell I was doing wrong - why wouldn’t she sleep in the cot, or if she did why did she wake after 30 minutes.
Looking back now, I can see I didn’t need a schedule-based book I needed knowledge of normal baby sleep and someone to listen to me at a time when I felt so alone and overwhelmed. My baby wasn’t broken, and I was doing nothing wrong. Her sleep was developmentally normal. Outside influences had made me question my instincts and my drive to be responsive. Unfortunately I didn’t hear an alternative to those influences for another year.
In the interim I enrolled on my first sleep course when my first daughter was 14 months. Like many others who decide to train as sleep consultants or coaches I was fascinated by sleep and wanted to know the ‘secrets’. Unfortunately the course wasn’t for me, I tried briefly to use the secrets - aka sleep training methods on my daughter but quickly realised it was against my instincts. I’m grateful to that course because it taught me to trust those instincts and to tune into my parenting values…. I needed solutions and information grounded in evidence… I needed an alternative course that encouraged my drive to be responsive.
Fortunately, I found the ‘alternative’ side of the baby sleep world hiding in a small corner of instagram (mid 2021) and I didn’t hesitate to sign up to a recommended course. I trained up as an OCN level 4 Gentle Sleep Educator and I’m currently training to become a Holistic Sleep Coach training under the fabulous Lyndsey Hookway.
For you, I hope I can be that voice I wish I would have heard in 2019/2020 - trust your instincts and follow your values. Feel empowered in your parenting, YOU are your baby’s expert. And if you need support I’m here with a listening ear, support and reassurance..and if you come to Fermanagh…a cuppa and cake too :-)
My journey into the world of baby sleep…
Where I’m from
Northern IrelandWhat I'm reading
Minful New Mum by
Dr Caroline Boyd My coffee order
Cappuccino Alongside baby sleep, I am hugely passionate about health and well-being, particularly maternal well-being, since becoming a mum. I believe sleep is an important part of our personal well-being - we can’t argue with the studies that link it to an improved mood. Parenthood universally comes with periods of stress and sleep deprivation. For others, it can also unearth new feelings and force us to navigate through these as well as the sleepless nights. As a mother who still experiences periods of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm, finding my way through these challenging moments in parenting has been crucial for my well-being and mental health. I have been using the outdoors to improve my well-being and keep my mental health in check for almost ten years, from bereavement to stress to sleep deprivation, it has been there to help me to reset, take stock, find gratitude, and move forward.
That’s why, if you don’t find me running chaotically after my two little ones with coffee spilling over my hands, you’ll likely find me outside…
