The Case Against “Drowsy But Awake”
“Drowsy but awake,” the sleep experts say. Have you ever wondered what that even means?
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The 3 to 2 Nap Transition
I’ve got a spooky topic request today! And no, it’s not Halloween, it’s the 3 to 2 nap transition! The name is pretty self-explanatory, but the 3 to 2 nap…
A Case For #teammoresleep
In her book, Daring Greatly, Brene Brown talks about how people use exhaustion as a status symbol, and “crazy-busy” as a sort of shield from acknowledging your true needs and…
Is Hiring a Sleep Consultant Worth It?
You may be reading this at 2am while you're trying to get your babe to sleep for the fifth time tonight, or you may be drinking the whole coffee pot…
7 Ways Sleep Training Helped My Marriage
This week’s blog post is a special edition because today we are celebrating our three year wedding anniversary! I cannot believe I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for three…
To Use a Pacifier or Not to Use a Pacifier…
… This is a big question that most parents face! There are a lot of pros and cons to using a pacifier, so let’s start with the pros:…
Promoting Infant Circadian Rhythms
You may have heard the phrase “She has her days and nights mixed up” in reference to a baby who sleeps all day and is up most of the night. The reason for this “mix up” is that brand new infants have not developed what is called a circadian rhythm.
A circadian rhythm is essentially a 24 hour internal clock that gives us cues as to when we should sleep and when we should be alert. Many of these cues are influenced by our exposure to light and our hormones. It generally takes 2-5 months for an infant to develop a good 24-hour circadian rhythm.
As a human who needs sleep (that’s you!) it is a good goal to work towards naturally helping your baby cultivate a strong circadian rhythm. You see, it is usually not the amount that a baby sleeps that is the problem- it’s that they don’t want to sleep when you do! (more…)
The Problem with Sleep Shaming
I don’t know any mother (even a first timer!) who goes into motherhood expecting to get 12 hours of beauty sleep when their little bundle of joy enters their life. We all know that things are about to change drastically, at least for a while. We understand we will be up in the middle of the night caring for a newborn, probably feeding every couple hours, and changing diapers. No big surprise. Especially for exclusively breastfeeding moms (like I was), our willing spouses are not even able to help as much because we are the solitary food source. Most notably during the “fourth trimester,” when babies are still getting used to life outside the womb and their needs and wants are the same thing, we have to be as responsive as possible. (more…)
