As a mum to three, it wasn’t until my youngest was born that I truly experienced ongoing sleep deprivation. M was born with tongue-tie, severe reflux and allergies. His preferred position to sleep was being held upright, he would scream in pain when he was laid flat, so hold him upright we did. 

My husband and I would take turns in the night, my husbands ‘shift’ would start at around 9pm, after M’s feed, and my husband would sit watching TV with M on his chest, until around midnight. And that is when my ‘shift’ would begin.  I would constantly try and put M down in his moses basket and later in his next-to-me crib, and I can even remember bringing the pram into our room to see if that would help. Nothing did. 

If I was lucky I’d get around 4 hours of broken sleep a night.  My respite came each day when my husband had his lunch break and he would take M so I could have an hour’s top-up sleep. 

And so it continued. I felt embarrassed and frustrated. With all of my clinical knowledge, I could not find a way to get M to sleep. I felt isolated. I stopped seeing friends as I was so tired. I forced myself to baby groups, but to be honest, I was only there in body. I never went out in the evenings as I knew what each and every night would entail. 

Near to M’s first birthday, I knew this couldn’t continue. He was my world, but I also knew I was barely functioning. Someone told me about a sleep consultant and that maybe we should give it a try…my first response? I honestly thought that this was too complicated for anyone to fix. Also, I had no energy, never mind any extra to talk to someone for it not to work.  My husband was even more skeptical, ‘What on Earth is she going to do? Come and sit with M every night?’.

But this couldn’t go on. I was due to start back at work in a month and I knew I wouldn’t be safe in a clinical area. Something had to change. 

So we did it. We sought help.

Within two weeks, M was having longer sleep periods, he would also nap on his own (he had never napped without being held).

Within three weeks? He slept through.

And now? He’s the best sleeper in the house.  

And that’s when I realised it. 

That’s when I realised that my experience as a nurse and health visitor could really come together alongside sleep consultancy. 

I know how truly isolating and debilitating it can be when you have a child that doesn’t sleep. To have the opportunity to help another family like someone helped mine is such an amazing thing to do.  Being a sleep consultant is not just a job for me. It’s something I feel extremely passionate about and I truly believe here is where I’m meant to be. And maybe, here is right where you are meant to be. I’d love to help.