Well meaning friends made me want to throw my Swiss ball at their face....
Let me tell you first up that I am not someone who operates well on little sleep.
I’ve managed it maybe once or twice, and I’d give myself a virtual high five at the end of the day for getting through it. I would be really proud of myself and think ‘’heck, should do that all the time’’.
I’d be so productive.
I could start my own business, listen to podcasts on how to take over the world, exercise at 10pm and bake fresh bread for the family every morning.
Why stop there?
The neighbourhood!
And pastries. Yes, I’d need to do pastries too.
That thought lasted until the next morning when I realised I needed a ‘catch up’ sleep in. Then came the realisation that I can only be Super Woman once a month at a push.
And I’m not putting my hand up for it.
So when I fell pregnant (well, I didn’t literally fall...dangerous), I suddenly thought, “oh God, my life as a rested woman is over”. I tried to come to terms with it so by the time Ted rolled into the world
(turns out, the birthing process isn’t quite as simple as ‘rolling out’)
I was ready to be a loving, patient and energetic mother on scraps of sleep.
It’s quite hard to remember the feeling of patience and love when a bread roll of a boy is staring at me through the darkness for the second hour as I hold him, bouncing on a Swiss ball. Made even more fun by the fact he weighs 10kg and I can only touch the floor with my tip toes.
Every. Second. Sucks.
But these long nights were actually not what made me enlist the help of a certain magician.
It was the shit days!
Listening to friends talk about how their baby slept for 3hrs in the morn and again in the afternoon made me want to throw my Swiss ball at their face (but I needed the ball that night so couldn’t risk losing it).
Ted would go to sleep, I’d put the jug on and BING!
Awake!
It was making me crazy and I needed a break which included a cup of coffee, alone.
The Sleep Consultant’s philosophies and tools were an absolute lifesaver.
I sought help to fix those terrible cat napping days but to my surprise, Ted learned to sleep through the night too.
And I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I love him more for it.
I went back to work when Ted was 6 months old and being able to do that with a full night’s sleep was an incredible feeling.
I had so much confidence in his new-found skill that the feeling of dread as I turned out the light disappeared.
I would never have considered starting a new business, Two Spoons Baby Food knowing Ted would need me in the wee hours.
Thankfully I was doing it with my incredible pal, Sarah (aka Dr Sarah. Baby expert and chip off the old block). We were sharing the load but along with that comes the pressure of not letting the team down.
I’m pretty amazed and proud of ourselves to have managed it, and I know I wouldn’t have come close to managing it if I hadn’t had help with Ted’s sleep. And he was ‘normal’! But now he’s incredible.
So now the business is up and running, I’ll get onto those neighbourhood bread and pastries.
Sally,
Co-founder of Two Spoons Baby Food
Read Sally's mission HERE
Our Baby Sleep Program helps tired parents TO DEVELOP HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS BY FOCUSING ON NAPS, SETTLING AND NIGHT SLEEP.
- Empowered: Feel empowered as a Mum as you learn to understand your growing baby's needs and cues.
- Simple effective settling: Gentle, proven self settling, evidence based techniques.
- Content happy baby and parents: Better sleep creates content babies & happy parents.
- Freedom: Predictable routines and longer nights creates freedom. Solve your sleep problems for more freedom.
- Work with your babies circadian rhythm: Work with your babies biological clock for faster easier results.
- Awesome naps & nights: You'll create consistent naps and nights with our support.
Try our online sleep program, complete with FREE email support.
My baby has reflux can you help?
When your baby has reflux, feeds can be difficult and your baby can be in a lot of pain both during and after feeds. This pain can cause feeding aversions and failure to thrive. This is why true GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) needs to be treated by a doctor. Once your baby's doctor is satisfied your baby is feeding well, and you have the right medication or formula then we can start a sleep plan and you will be successful.
My baby has colic will this help?
Colic is defined as 3 or more hours of crying per day in infants. Crying subsides in the second second trimester. If you are still experiencing colic symptoms speak to your baby's doctor about whether this could be reflux, an allergy, or over tiredness. We can help you work on better sleep with this program at the same time as your doctor investigates the pain and crying.
What if the program isn't working?
We have a dedicated help line to ensure your success. Just email our team via the details in your program and a certified, experienced and friendly sleep consultant is ready to stare you in the right direction to ensure your success!
My baby was born early, can you help?
Sleep is neurological so we always work off your babies neurological age, that is their corrected age. When you look at our sleep programs purchase the program that your babies corrected age fits into.
What if I have questions or need more help?
Our sleep programs come with private email support. You don’t have to post in any public forums or groups, just email the exclusive helpline that our team of certified sleep consultants look after and we’ll answer all your questions and help you on your way.
Can this program help with my babies night sleep?
Yes, all our online sleep programs contain night sleep plans. We will teach you how to move from multiple night feeds to 2 or 1 or none (depending on what is age appropriate and appropriate for your baby.) Don’t worry we will show you to figure this out too. If your baby is unsettled at night but not feeding, our plans will help you with consolidate night sleep and self settling when age appropriate.
My baby is cat napping can you help?
Cat napping is a very normal physiological stage that your baby goes through. At this stage (3-8 months old), cat napping can start to be a long term issue and compound into over tiredness and affect night sleep and your babies happiness. Good news, this is a great age to work on re-settling, self settling and better longer naps!
I have 3 children, can this work with my family?
I totally understand how busy life is with 2, 3 or more children! Even if you need a flexible schedule we can still work on settling regular naps (some on the go!), and better evenings and night. Flick our consultants any specific questions about your family's schedule of activities and we can help you work out what is possible nap wise.
I don't want a fixed routine, can you still help?
Yes. A fixed routine is one option, regular naps and regular awake times is another. Both are valid and you are welcome to do what works for your family. We understand you are all different and what works best for one family won't be best for another.
I'm formula feeding, can you still help?
Yes we have specific advice for formula feeding parents, and we support your decision to feed any way you choose. We even have a special video series on formula feeding and everything you need to know. Just ask our consultants about this extra if you need it.
I'm exclusively breastfeeding, can I follow your plans?
Yes! While breastfeeding babies need to feed frequently they still need quality sleep day and night. We have specific advice for breastfeeding mums and an exclusive discount on Julia Daleys breastfeeding course if you need extra help.
I'm bed sharing, can your program help me stop?
Yes. We often fall into bed sharing, we call this reactive bed sharing. Or we have simply changed our mind, and moving on from bed sharing we need some support. Our programs and consults will guide you through gentle sleep methods, which are more appropriate for most bed sharing babies who are moving towards independent sleep in the cot.
I'm feeding to sleep, can you help me stop?
Yes. Feeding to sleep is a common sleep association and one that works well for lots of newborns. Often we need to move on from feeding to sleep when it starts to cause short naps, or prolonged settling or frequent night wake ups as baby looks for their association to go back to sleep over and over again at night. We can teach you how to teach your baby to self settle and move on from feeding to sleep when the time is right.
I'm rocking to sleep, is their a solution?
Yes. These are common sleep associations, we refer to this as assisting to sleep. Let us show you ways you can develop independent sleep and settling strategies with our online sleep program, or one on one consult.
Is this program based on Cry It Out?
No. Cry it out is the common name for a sleep training method where you put baby down and don’t respond or check until they are fast asleep. There is no CIO involved in this program as we feel this should be only done under proper supervision. Instead we have included all our very gentle approaches and more mainstream techniques for you to choose from.
Is this based on Science or Art?
Both! As a scientist I (Emma) have spent over 8 years researching the science of sleep. I have educated and certified over 500 consultants around the world as sleep consultants, and have worked with thousands of clients. I love the scientific explanations of why we see the sleep patterns we see, and this science helps us to shape plans and solutions that we know will work. But there's an element of art to getting a baby to sleep, understanding the right combination of things that will work best, and this is where your instinct comes in.
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