“That’s impossible! Babies naturally sleep better when they co-sleep!” my mother exclaimed when she heard my plan.

Right after my son was born, I soon discovered that he was a terrible napper and an incredibly sensitive sleeper. Between the multiple 30-minute cat naps he took throughout the day, and the early 5 A.M. wakings, it wasn’t long before his irregular sleep schedule threw my schedule out of order.

Even with help from a newborn care specialist, every time when I feed or rock my son back to sleep in the middle of the night, I doubt my decision of not co-sleeping.

Was my mom right? Should I co-sleep? Was he waking up because of digestive problems? Was he really hungry?

This stream of questions, compounded with a heap of self-doubts and my mother’s guilt, overwhelmed me as a new parent. I became the worst version of myself, picking fights with my husband, and hated the feeling of losing control.

Five months in, I was still searching for answers. Then, I made the best decision in motherhood – hiring a child sleep consultant.

After only 3 nights of sleep training, my son slept through the night from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M.

Two weeks later, all of his naps fell into place.

I went from having only an hour to myself during the day to 4 hours of free time, and felt like I could finally breathe again.

After regaining this sense of normalcy in my life, I started noticing how many of my friends were experiencing problems with their children’s sleep patterns and erratic sleep schedules. Some wanted to end co-sleeping; others were exhausted by non-stop night wakings.

Encouraged by my career coach, I decided to make a bold career change – to become a certified Child Sleep Consultant to help other families. Propelled by my passion and purpose, I enrolled in the certification program at the Family Sleep Institute founded by Deborah Pedrick, a pioneer in Child Sleep Consulting. Through the program, I learned comprehensive, evidence-based pediatric sleep solutions to help parents establish and maintain a healthy sleep foundation for their children. Upon completion, I immediately began putting my newfound knowledge into practice – meeting different households, getting to know parents of all backgrounds, and supporting children of all ages. 

Working with families to reclaim their rest has been the most rewarding job I’ve ever had and I am loving every second of it.

I look forward to sharing in your journey next.