MY STORY

We all know that we're in for sleepless nights when we get pregnant but there's no way of preparing for how hard sleep deprivation hits you.
My daughter had never slept through the night and woke several times each and every night and yes that was hardcore but for me the breaking point was nap time or what was supposed be to nap time but consisted of pounding the streets with the pram come rain or shine, where she screamed her lungs out for 20 minutes before crashing and sleeping for just 20 minutes. As long as I was constantly walking at a decent pace. No red lights, no stopping for a quick coffee, in fact, no stopping at all!
I had the pleasure of that pram walk twice a day, so much for the 'sleep when the baby sleeps' advice. And then it was the total lottery of what the nighttime would bring. 2 wake up's or 10! The anxiety of not knowing was just horrendous.
RELENTLESS. How I fondly described parenting!
BEYOND TIRED was the other favourite to convey how f'in exhausted I was.
I was so sleep-deprived that my mental and physical health really suffered. I was anxious and couldn't fall asleep despite being completely exhausted.  I ate really terribly: High energy, sugary and fatty foods. Or I just skipped meals and sunk a few glasses of wine in the evening.
My relationship was at breaking point and quite honestly I didn’t enjoy being a Mum and longed for 6 o’clock when my other half would get home from work so I could get a break (and that glass of wine!)
I remember a conversation with an NCT friend whilst we were hanging out, sat on the beach living the mat leave dream (not) and her saying " Isn't it great that everything is so much easier now they were 6 months old?!". This was a bit of wet fish around the face moment as it couldn't have been further from reality for me. It felt like it was just getting harder and harder.
Sleep was all I banged on about and I cried at some point every day.
By chance, I read an article about Post Natal Depression that rang some very loud bells.
Around this time and whilst still on maternity leave I found out that I was being made redundant. I had mixed emotions as I was done with the industry I worked in but it paid well.  I had no idea what else I would do and how I would even string a sentence together for an interview with how I was feeling.  At the same time, it seemed to be the last thing that I could identify as ‘me’.
I remember sitting in the local park early one morning to take the final call from HR confirming the redundancy. I got off the phone, burst into tears (as per usual) but actually, something clicked.  I immediately rang the Health Visitor team, still in tears and told them that I thought that I had Post Natal Depression. Lovely Sarah came round to see me that afternoon and that’s where things thankfully started to turn a corner.
I took all the help I was offered. Group support, one-to-one, medication and the kind and generous support of friends and family.
This is the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t and shouldn’t do everything yourself. Asking and accepting help is a sign of true strength not failure.
Through my recovery journey, I learned that I was absolutely not the only one in this situation and it wasn’t anything that I’d done to bring it all on.
A couple of months passed and the heavy fog lifted. Sleep was still a total nightmare but my mind was so much clearer and I knew I wanted better for my daughter and us.
In one of my many, many middle-of-the-night Google sessions on baby sleep, I came across a Sleep Consultant who I thought could help us. We'd tried and failed several times at sleep training and I was completely skeptical that anything could be done for our daughter cos she was the lost cause kid, the one that's just immune to this sleep training sorcery. But this Wonder Woman gave me hope as she had been through the exact same experience.
We hired her and it was the best decision we ever made.  OUR LIVES WERE TRANSFORMED.
The experience was mind-blowingly positive and critically, it worked (!!!)
Having hit rock bottom and then experiencing how different I could feel being a Mum who had unbroken sleep again and a chance to take a break in the day, is what makes me so passionate about child sleep and what makes me want to share my knowledge and experience with other families who are ‘in the thick of it’ just like we were.
I achieved my certification through the Family Sleep Institute founded by pioneer Sleep Consultant Deborah Pedrick. I’m privileged to be part of the FSI Graduate community which features Psychologists, Child Development Specialists and Lactation Consultants amongst many others and with them, bring decades of experience.
All of this goes hand in hand with my ‘on the job’ experience with my own, gorgeous but at times extremely fussy daughter.
I'm now a Mum to two girls and OMG, the difference the second time around was nuts. I knew what I'm doing, Tinker slept like a champ night and day and I was really been able to enjoy the baby stage with her rather than wish those short months away.
I’m passionately committed to help families just like you, with the skills and support you need to ensure your tribe is well-rested and thriving.

WHAT HAPPENS IN A SLEEP EVALUATION CALL?

When you make your booking, you’ll fill in a form to give me some background on your current sleep challenges and what you’re looking to achieve if we were to work together. 
In the call, I’ll ask you some more questions so I can give you some clarity on the sleep challenges, whether your sleep goals are realistic and achievable, and whether we are a good fit to work together.
If we are a good fit, I’ll share further details on my support packages and services and discuss more how I work and can help you reach your sleep goals.

What are the next steps after the Sleep Evaluation call?

If we are a good fit, you’ll be sent your Next Steps email.
This email contains 
  1. Sleep Questionnaire for completion
  2. Support Packages to choose from
  3. My next available start date
The start date offered to you will be held for 48 hours and the date will be confirmed (by email) as long as the Sleep Questionnaire, package and payment are received within this time.
We can discuss a suitable start date of course and find one that works for us both.
Your Sleep Plan will be written and sent to you the day before the consultation so that you have the opportunity to read through and make some notes.
During the consultation I will talk through the Sleep Plan and go into more detail on the strategy and any settling techniques, and of course cover all the questions that you have.
At the end of the consultation, we’ll confirm when you’ll be starting. The Telegram messaging support group will be set up for 9am on the start date.