Meet Sarah

At my last sleep clinic, I had a 30-minute convo with a new mum, to help her get her baby back on track with sleep.

Sarah (name withheld) used to have her baby sleeping well, but once she returned to work, albeit from home, her baby's sleep went downhill (her words, not mine).

After working long hours after baby finally went to sleep at night, and dealing with tons of stress, Sarah found it challenging to maintain a consistent sleep routine for her baby, leading to constant nighttime wake-ups and daytime fussiness.

In the beginning, it wasn’t an issue. But as the months went by, she started to notice lower energy levels and increased frustration, affecting not only her work but her time with her family.

Sarah was facing a challenge that many parents face: She was trying to balance her career while managing her baby's sleep needs.

In today’s issue, I will share our discussion, my recommendations, and the results.

Sarah's 3 biggest challenges were:

- Letting work take over her ability to maintain a consistent sleep schedule for her baby.

- Feeling guilty for working, therefore wanting to spend more time with her baby at night, which often led to keeping her baby up too late.

- Baby’s sleep routine was a mess. He would cat nap sporadically during the day & had trouble settling at night.

Her main goal was to establish a consistent sleep routine for her baby to ensure better sleep for both her and her baby, while keeping up with her busy schedule.

I asked her to walk me through a typical day so we could find some opportunities for improvement.

Morning: She wakes up, gets baby ready, and spends some time playing before work.

Afternoon: Works on her most important tasks, while baby takes sporadic naps.

Evening: She made sure they ate Dinner together at (6pm), where bedtime routine for baby started but often it got disrupted by work.

When you look at that schedule it looks “normal” but she felt it was chaotic and wasn’t working for them. Many emergency work tasks came up, which took up her time and threw off baby's sleep routine. It was hard to fit in consistent naps and bedtime routines.

My first recommendation:  

Streamline the bedtime routine.

When Sarah first tried to improve her baby's sleep, she didn’t have a set routine and often let work dictate baby's sleep schedule.

We replaced this chaotic approach with a bedtime routine that included playing for 30 mins before bed, a warm bath, reading a book, and we introduced a sleep phrase. This was a profound switch because it helped signal to baby that it was time to sleep.

Second recommendation: 

Strategic time blocking.

We put a time in her calendar that she blocked out. 30 mins each evening as baby's wind-down time. This would be their sacred time to relax and prepare for sleep. She needed to be fully present during this time.

Her partner helped protect this time.

Once she started doing this, she reported back increased amounts of relaxation for both her and her baby, leading to smoother bedtimes.

Third recommendation: 

Improve daytime naps.

Part of the reason baby had trouble sleeping at night was due to erratic daytime nap schedules.

We started with a more structured nap schedule to ensure her baby got enough rest during the day. We also introduced certain activities before naptime to help her baby settle more easily.

After doing this, she found it easier to put her baby down at night and noticed less fussiness throughout the day.

The Results:

Sarah experienced significant improvements in her baby's sleep quality, leading to better sleep for herself and baby. At the next Sleep Clinic, she reported feeling more refreshed in the morning, had more focus during the day, and enjoyed more quality time with her family.

We took advantage of what was working for her already: Her commitment to a sleep routine.

By blocking out time in the calendar and then prioritising baby's wind-down time in the evening, it acted as a bridge to better sleep. We recruited support by asking her partner to protect that wind-down time.

When we put her baby's daytime naps on a schedule, we minimised the threat of poor nighttime sleep. We also increased the quality of her baby's pre-sleep activities and feeding.

Since then, Sarah has not only improved her baby's sleep but is experiencing a level of peace and energy she hasn't had since before her baby was born.

Here's what she had to say about the process:

The lessons here are powerful:

1. As a working parent you need to block off time in your calendar and be present during the bedtime routine & be dedicated and consistent. Remember, that your baby’s sleep is for both of you, and the ship only runs as well as you do. When the routine is established, one or two nights of doing work tasks does no harm now. But it needs to be established first.

2. The more routine you can make your baby's sleep habits, the more freedom you’ll achieve. If daytime napping is random, find peace by incorporating a suitable, age appropriate daytime napping routine of winding down and consistent sleep times.

3. Get help. You can’t keep on doing the same thing expecting a different result. If this has been an area of your life that you can’t get right, then you need to invest in yourself.

Even though you may not be a new mom, you can still use these lessons to incorporate better sleep for your baby into your schedule.

I hope you found this newsletter helpful.

Sleep well and Hold Your Babies Close,

The SleepGoddess xx

PS: Join My monthly Sleep Coinic if you’d like some mum chats about sleep. And top tips. Info on my website:

At the Sleep Clinic, I’ll can help you one on one to improve your baby's sleep without disrupting your busy schedule ♥️

I have an amazing collection of case studies from parents from dozens of different backgrounds… I’d love to work with you.

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