Do you crave alone time, or evenings with with your spouse?

Let’s be real. Parenting is hard work. We all try to do what’s best for our kids, while still somehow continuing to be an adult, an employee, a spouse or partner, and a mentally stable human being. I don’t know about you but I feel very overwhelmed when it comes to that last part if I’m always working on the other parts. The list never ends. The dishes, the laundry, the drop offs and picks ups and dates to remember, the meals and groceries, the daily routines as well as the vaccine schedule and dental appointments. It can feel like a lot. As a new parent, it can feel all too much.

I am here to tell you that being a parent isn’t the only thing you are. Finding a semblance of your old self inside the new mold of parent is hard, but important work. For me, I went back to work at 12 weeks. My baby was a month early, so I felt very anxious about being back already. Then you add on the lists of things to do. I am not an anxious person by trait, but I was an anxious person during her first year. I breastfed and pumped, she had a latch problem and was slow to feed. I made meals, I did laundry, I worked 30 hours a week while traveling 90 minutes per day. Then, came bedtime. Bedtime was stressful because I never knew how much time I really had before she would wake up. I needed to pump before bed, shower, spend time with my husband and decompress. I knew I needed to sleep train my baby because sleep meant so much to me and my mental health. I craved to be alone at night with no one touching me or needing me. Don’t get me wrong. I loved being my daughter’s mom more than anything, but I needed to find me again. It’s easy to lose yourself in motherhood. There are so many things out there saying it’s not our time, it’s not our turn. But I disagree to an extent. It may not be our turn, but we deserve to be humans too. If we don’t put our own oxygen mask on first then we can’t help anyone else. My cup was so empty by the end of the day that the nighttime was just survival mode.

I knew that my life would get better when I got more sleep. I knew that training my baby would help everyone in the household. I knew I needed to do it for all of us.

Sleep training is not a punishment for your children. Sleep training is not something you should feel guilty about trying. If you are ready to make a change, so you can spend some time alone, or have a wine night with your spouse or friends, then let’s do it. I can help. You don’t have to do it alone. Having a village there to support you will help you succeed faster and more confidently.

If you are struggling with sleep, reach out to me to book your free sleep assessment call to see if we would be a good fit. If you are ready to get more sleep ASAP, check out my services page today. I want everyone to feel the relief that I felt when I got a full night’s sleep. You deserve rest. Your child deserves rest. We can do this together.

xo, Melanie