When to hire a sleep consultant | Is it worth to hire a sleep consultant?
Odds are that if you are reading this blog, you have been thinking about hiring a sleep consultant but are not entirely convinced yet that you need to hire a sleep consultant. I can probably read your thoughts: “ I’ve got this far already; eventually, baby will grow up, and I will have my nights back; this is just another sleep regression; I am breastfeeding, I really can’t do sleep training, sleep is natural it will come on its own, my toddler just needs some cuddles at 3 am, I can’t afford it! Etc, etc.,
How do I know that? Because I was there, too, before I accepted that it was ok to reach for help. I have heard many reasons from moms and dads about what stopped them from asking for professional help. Still, I will give you only ONE reason to hire a sleep consultant: because your baby needs to sleep and because YOU need to sleep and feel that you are not trapped in an endless cycle of feeding, rocking, putting baby to sleep, wake up after five minutes, feeding again, rocking again, trying again for the crib and yikes! Is it time to pump again?
Ok, those are three reasons, but you get the idea. Of course, there are many other reasons to hire a sleep consultant, but first, let’s all agree on one thing: sleep is not a luxury but a necessity. Even though sleep is a relatively new field of study in
neurobiology (the first comprehensive textbook on sleep medicine was published in 1989!), there is now enough science to back up the health, mental and social effects of poor sleep quality
But there is no need to suffer in silence. When I became a mother, I promised to enjoy motherhood; I knew that 99% of the time, it wouldn’t be peachy, but there was that 1% that would make it all worth it. I realize now that putting my family on a good sleep routine played a massive role in me recognizing those moments. Think about the following scenario: You had not even three straight hours of sleep during the night, you are dealing with a tired that refused to nap, you are making lunches, getting ready to take them to the library afterwards, and you turned your back one second, and realized your toddler decided to pour himself a cup of milk with little success AND at the same time your youngest pooped again! Typical Wednesday, right? The exhausted parent probably would have a mini meltdown; the parent that had enough sleep turned that fiasco into a mini teachable moment for their toddler: They dry the tears from their toddler and tell him that it takes time to get better at something, but with practice, he will get there. I wanted to be that mom! I wanted to remember that even in the seamless
things of my every day, I was there for my babies. Sleep gave me the clarity and patience that I needed, and to that, I couldn’t put a price. When you feel that it is getting too much and affecting other aspects of your life, it is time to call a sleep consultant.
A sleep consultant is not a book that describes a baby that is not yours. A sleep consultant works with you to help you find the balance you need within your life’s rhythm. With their training and expertise, they can identify sleep props and challenges; they write a personalized plan that addresses those challenges adequately and gives you support when things don’t go as expected and the encouragement you need to follow through until things are where you want them to be.
A sleep consultant also educates. Many future parents or returning clients with baby number 2 hired me to help them start on the right foot. At this point, my main goal is to support the parents in establishing feeding and recognizing signs of tiredness vs. signs of hunger, which, by the way, look the same! ; I still write plans but not with the idea of “training”; newborns don’t have bad habits. Instead, I teach parents to foster good sleep habits and set good schedules for consistent naps.
Other parents seek my guidance on how to wean night feedings safely, book small consultations for advice when travelling with kids, or incorporate other caregivers into their baby’s routine, etc.
When hiring a sleep consultant, it is a good idea to dig a bit into their experience and skills; it could make a huge difference!
For example, besides working as a sleep consultant, I am a very active birth and postpartum doula in Toronto; my work has taught me to recognize patterns, pinpoint what troubles babies and how to fix these things; all of those things come in handy when dealing with babies’ sleep, trust me! So, it is not a coincidence that clients who hired me as their doula now have truly great sleepers.
So, when it comes to your child’s sleep, every child is unique. I want you to remember that, and if sleep is not going how you want it, The Sleep Consultant That Could is here to help you get back on track.
Night, night
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I too, thought I had it on under control. Truth is I was surviving. I have little memories of the first days with my newborn up until he was 8 months old, when I finally decided to ask for help. The best decision ever! it is incredible how getting less than 6 hours sleep screw up your emotions, everything feels more intense and bigger. I hired my sleep consultant again with baby number two. What a huge difference! we both were sleeping, my oldest was also sleeping thru the night, and I felt so present for them. Still , the guilt hits me from time to time that I didn’t give my first child the best of me, just because I thought “sleep is natural” so damn!