Pediatric Sleep Consulting
Amanda Lawrence
Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and Registered Nurse
When my son, Sawyer, was born I could not have been happier. I knew my whole life that my true purpose was to be a mom, and it was finally my time. I was overjoyed and felt so fulfilled. I was also overcome with anxiety. My postpartum anxiety centered on sleep, and I worried constantly about his safety.
For the first five months of my son's life, my husband and I alternated taking turns staying up all night to hold him and ensure that he was safe. The only way I could get any sleep at all was if I knew that my husband was awake and watching him breathe. This, of course, was unsustainable and led to extreme exhaustion. It also prevented my son from learning healthy sleep habits and led to a long road of sleep troubles. I was against sleep training due to my anxiety and my belief that it would harm the bond between me and my son, and nothing was more important than that.
So, we fought through it. I read books about how to improve baby sleep, made countless 2am google searches while he slept in my arms, and felt like I had set him up for failure after we celebrated his first birthday and he still wasn't consistently sleeping through the night. We did make progress slugging through and figuring it out on our own. But, even as a medical professional, it was a long, exhausting, and drawn-out process. And at 2 years old, we were still lying next to him holding his hand through the crib bars as he fell asleep. Finally, I researched sleep training and found it was not what I thought it was. It didn't have to mean leaving my son to cry for hours on end. We implemented a gentle method and after two nights our son was falling asleep without assistance and sleeping through the night.
It doesn't have to be so hard. You don't have to wait for years, like I did, hoping that eventually you will be able to sleep again. To feel like yourself again. And you don't have to do it alone.
It also doesn't mean that you have to jeopardize your bond with your child, leave them alone to cry for hours, or give up breastfeeding. If you are exhausted and running on fumes, but hesitant or afraid to sleep train;
I see you. I hear you. I was you. I can help show you another way.
My Philosophy
I believe that your baby deserves a restorative night of sleep so that they can continue to develop and grow. They also deserve well rested parents who can show up as their best selves, and that is very difficult to do when you're running on empty. I also believe that you deserve to feel well rested, clear headed, and have time for YOU. You deserve to have time to yourself after your baby falls asleep- to read a book, take a bath, or watch some Netflix.
What I do not believe in is leaving a baby or child alone in their room to cry for hours until they fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. I don't use cry it out methods. Instead, I teach gentle methods to help your child learn to fall asleep without assistance. It's not a one size fits all approach. I take your child's temperament, age, and unique situation into consideration when suggesting methods and writing a sleep plan tailored specifically to your child. I also factor in what your goals are for your family and how you would like life to look. Our time together is a collaboration, and your views, goals, and level of comfort are key components.
My career as an Oncology Registered Nurse has always been rooted in empathy, gentleness, and patience. Every patient has their own story and is following their own personal path. This naturally carries over to sleep consulting. Each family is unique and deserves to be treated as so. Every parent, caregiver, and baby deserves to be treated with respect, patience, and understanding. This is exactly what you can expect from Stories & Starlight.