How a Sleep Consultant Changed My Life
They told me she would sleep once she was past the 4 month regression.
They told me she would sleep once she was 6 months old.
They told me she would sleep once she started solids.
They told me she would sleep once she was in her own room.
They told me surely she would sleep once she was one.
And yet, she didn’t. Our sweet 14 month old was fighting rest with every ounce of her body.
And I was hanging on by a thread.
I had waited and waited for that elusive sleep that “they” promised would come.
To be honest, I had absolutely no idea what sleep consulting was. I had never known anyone to work with a professional to help their kid sleep.
And to be even more honest, I am very stubborn and hard-headed. I like to know all the things to be able to do things myself. And I was her mom–I was supposed to know how to do this, right?! How could someone else know more than I did about my own daughter and her sleep?
Well, let’s just say the entire experience of my daughter’s struggles with sleep absolutely changed my understanding of motherhood and reaching out for support. And ultimately, it changed the professional course of my life.
Our Story
When my husband and I finally realized we needed help, our daughter was 14-months-old. That was 14 long sleep-deprived months. We had read all the books, tried way too many tips and tricks, and received tons of well-intentioned advice, but nothing seemed to work for our daughter.
She would scream hysterically at night if I wasn’t immediately nursing her, sometimes 5 times a night. She wasn’t getting any solid rest, and neither were my husband nor I. Our daughter was in a constant state of overtiredness. She didn’t know how to give in to her exhaustion and let her little body rest and recuperate from her active days.
The lack of sleep was affecting everything in our lives. I doubted myself as a mother and dreaded nighttime, knowing that we were in for multiple wake-ups and a screaming baby. We had tried to co-sleep, thinking it might be the magic fix everyone suggested, only to have a baby climbing all over me all night wide awake.
I desperately posted in a local Facebook mom’s group, and a mom recommended that we reach out to a sleep consultant. A sleep consultant? I was skeptical to say the least. I thought we were destined to have a “bad sleeper”. But at that point, we were at a point of complete desperation, and for the sake of our health, sanity, marriage, jobs, and well-being, we needed to give it a try and invest in rest.
I’ll never forget that moment–putting the cost of the Sleep Consulting package on our credit card and holding our breath. Knowing that we didn’t have the extra income lying around to pay for something that might not work, but hoping that maybe this would bring the elusive sleep we all so desperately needed.
I can confidently say that working with a Sleep Consultant was one of the best investments we have ever made for our family. Not only was the lack of sleep affecting our moods as parents, but we noticed a huge change in our daughter once she became well-rested. She was no longer constantly overtired and her personality and development blossomed. It was amazing to witness! She was happy and able to thrive because of her newly developed sleep skills.
One of the things I learned is that you can research every book and website and the abyss of google searches and still feel like you are back at square one. There are so many different facets of parenting, and although the social media world likes to claim the very black and white nature of parenting decisions, ultimately we are all just trying to find a balance of what works well for our family. And having a coach to personalize a plan for our daughter and support us until we met our goals was exactly what we needed. Sometimes we need someone to support us in navigating all the many approaches to sleep and to have a clear determined path and effective way to get us there.
That journey in our family’s life is what inspired me to teach this to more families. I knew that I needed to bring rest to other families like us. I went through the same certification program, Sleep Sense, that the consultant we utilized had gone through. With a Masters in Psychology and experience specifically in behavioral and developmental psychology, I know that this path and experience was meant for me all along. It was as though I had been working my whole life towards founding Snooze Baby Co. and didn’t realize it. Thank you to Caroline, our sleep angel, who changed our family and my future!
Hi, I’m Jillian!
As the founder and owner of Snooze Baby Co, I believe rest is a vital part of creating happy and healthy families. As your Certified Sleep Consultant, I’m here to help take away the guessing by creating a personalized plan for your child and to coach you through the entire process with an empathetic and responsive approach. I will work 1-on-1 with your family to help you reach your sleep goals and get the rest you need. Whether your baby is 4-months-old or 4-years-old, I am here to help get your babies snoozing!
