It’s a “yes” from me! We live in a world that craves fast solutions, which sets unrealistic expectations, often lacking in love & empathy, leading to us not giving things the time & attention they need & deserve. This is also unfortunately a very accurate picture of how many people view newborn sleep.

As parents, we all deserve to be taught about newborn sleep however the sad reality is that we are not. We have been left to fend for ourselves or "learn as we go" whilst going through one of the greatest life changing experiences; becoming parents & being 100% responsible for someone else’s life.

It doesn't matter if it is your 1st or 3rd child, learning about newborn sleep is a fundamental part of parenthood & is unavoidable. We can't escape what happens & we don't need to. What we need is to learn. To understand what is going on during the 4th Trimester & respond accordingly. Keeping trust, love & connection at the core throughout.

So prior to becoming a parent, I used to love the clock change in October. An extra hour back. Eh hello! Since having my son though, my view has slightly changed. I have a rumble in my tummy when it comes about. The thought of watching Paw Patrol at 5:05am haunts me. Joking aside, it does cause some anxiety and worry to so many parents. And rightly so if your little one is already up with the birds or quite reactive to any changes in routine. 

I don't like to give this too much attention though as often nothing much happens, it's a little rough for a few nights or in some cases, you win and they sleep a little longer than usual. Either way, giving it too much focus or worry before it comes isn't worth energy so I thought I’d blog my clock change guide to give you some ideas on what you "could" do, if you want to do anything at all. Keep cool, it will pass and just be consistent with the rest of your routine. Things will fall back into place.

Nothing will ever quite prepare you for the reality of having your Newborn baby with you. I think every emotion possible runs through you at some point. There is a level of tiredness that you just didn’t think was possible and a sudden focus on getting more sleep. I’ve openly admitted I became unhealthily obsessed with Newborn sleep and now understand it was due to the fact I didn’t understand it.

I work closely with many parents during the third trimester of their pregnancy. It’s at this time where I help educate them on Newborn Sleep, the science behind it, why babies sleep the way they do, what’s normal, coping strategies and most importantly, acknowledging the 4th Trimester and the impact is has on everyone.

A letter to Clyde. Happy Birthday to my beautiful boy.

I genuinely feel like I’ve known you forever. You have been the greatest lesson in my life and I’m absolutely a better human since becoming your mum.

I will cherish forever that you have given me the opportunity to feel unconditional love. To look at you daily knowing that I grew every little part of you inside me (big shout out to my body for allowing me to do this). The feelings of connection I get with you. It’s something I can’t quite put into words but I think you left little reminders of you inside of me so we will always be uniquely connected.

I personally want to avoid asking myself this question for as long as possible. Like many parents, it gives me the fear thinking about having to move my little one out of his cot and into a bed.

I have a really positive relationship with my sons cot. It has provided so much safety, security and some great sleep for him since he moved into it a 6 months old. I feel safe at night knowing he’s in there, not able to wander and not currently in a position to attempt to climb out and hurt himself. He also loves it in there…one thing that’s always made me so happy.

Before I became a parent, I’d always heard people talk about the so-called “mum guilt”, and I knew that I would be riddled with it for sure. I reckoned it was a given if my sensitive nature and propensity for guilt before motherhood was anything to go by. So, I surrendered myself to that future.  

What I hadn’t accounted for, was how that would feel. How exhausting it would be. How sad it would make me feel. How I would end up feeling guilty about feeling guilty. It was too much.  

Naps were one of the main reasons for me wanting to train in infant sleep. They blew my mind. I unashamedly found them really challenging and the amount of guidance online and variety in it, made me super confused. Like I needed that on top of being knackered.

Now every sleep coach/parent or career will have their own views on what works when it comes to naps. No-one is right and no-one is wrong. This however is what I recommend to all parents. 3 key points when we work on naps (4+ months old). It’s very simple however takes commitment, consistency and resilience from you to see that positive and sustainable change occurs.

So, you're in your third trimester of pregnancy. Congratulations! This is an exciting time, but it can also be a little bit overwhelming. Your body is changing rapidly and you may be feeling more uncomfortable than ever before.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and tissues that support the organs in your pelvis, including the bladder and uterus. These muscles and tissues go through a lot during pregnancy with the weight of baby, the physical changes to our body, changes in our lifestyle.

What the hell do you do when your usually amazing sleeper does a sudden U Turn. Scream and run for the hills? A good option but not the best solution. These times can feel really overwhelming and also trigger a lot of previous anxieties around sleep if you have had quite the journey getting to a good place.

Please know that sleep can take lots of different turns. Some good. Some not so good. The older our little ones get, the more in tune we get to what’s going on and as always, we immediately rule out anything health related that could be causing the change and address as necessary, putting care and comfort at the top of the priority list.

I find myself daily feeling frustrated at the fact I haven’t been able to do everything I planned…Complete all of my outstanding work tasks, the food shop, the washing, a workout, prepping meals for the week, going for a walk, speaking with a friend, time with my husband, finally reading the book that has sat on my bedside table for 700 years.

Writing the list of my “top to do’s” got me thinking; do some of these really matter enough for me to beat myself up about not doing them? The firm answer is no. Some of them I class as important and that keep me healthy and happy (working out, walking, eating well and spending time with loves ones). The others like housework, my endless list of “work tasks” that fall into the miscellaneous section, often pile up and just feel like you can’t see the end of them.

Wanting your baby to sleep more does not make you a bad parent. You are amazing. Sleep is something we all require to function at the most basic level and when you’re not getting enough, it can be extremely challenging physically, emotionally and mentally. This is almost always the point where parents contact me for support. When they just need/want things to be better. 

Earlier this year I worked with a wonderful family who had just welcomed their second child into the world. Having just passed the “newborn phase”, sleep started to get really tough. The little one was amazing however multiple night waking’s, 2+ hour bedtime battles, 4am early wakes and nap challenges all led to mum being exhausted and feeling extremely overwhelmed trying to find ways to improve things. 

I have never been a reader. I was always so much better at telling stories rather than reading them. Not much has changed as I have got older. I’m still not a fan of reading. It sends me to sleep most of the time (which is fab when I need to unwind and shut down for the night quickly).

Over the last 5+ years I have however taken a real interest in my learning. About educating myself further on the things that matter to me or interest me most. Whether I like it or not, books are one of the best ways to meet this need and I have read some pretty amazing reads that have made really positive and impactful changes in my life.

With Clyde’s 2nd birthday approaching in September, I have started to reflect more on my journey into parenthood so far. Man, it’s been a ride.

I always knew I would find it one hell of a journey. I’m not maternal by nature (this is not a negative thing, it’s honest and by no mean’s reflects on how much I love my son). The changes in my body, mind and priorities have been so big that I could have never anticipated them. A global pandemic definitely accelerated some of them, however I think most of them are experienced or at least felt to some extent by most parents.

I have interviewed many people over the years and even before becoming a parent myself, always used to think “Why does no-one ever give a parenting example when asked about their achievements/experience?".

I’ve recently been through some interview’s myself and around 60%+ of my answers were around my pregnancy/parenthood. I’ve spent almost the last 3 years of my life being either pregnant or a new parent so these experiences and achievements are the most relevant and impactful when displaying my competence.

I have some “quick wins” that I share with every parent I work with. Ohhhh, tell me more.

These quick wins are here for you to apply when certain things crop up/go a little off. Some days/nights just don’t go very well and having these at hand help you take the edge off of things, or at least attempt to make things a little easier. They are tried. They are tested and most importantly, they are easy to do and might just get everyone a little more sleep.

So many new parents (myself included), find the newborn months a real shellshock. It can be hard to see the woods for the trees at times and not know how, where or when to start working on sleep.

My advise is always super simple for the newborn months. It’s about finding a new way that work’s for you as a family, not working on sleep specifically. Your baby has certain “newborn needs” and you finding your way into parenthood are both important factors that should be acknowledged.

Hello Summer. Finally we have some nice weather and as much as we may have wished for more sunshine; as a parent, it comes with it’s worries (aside from the fear of showing our white winter limbs in public).

To help reduce any anxieties or worries you may have, I have shared some of my top tips on keeping you baby safe and cool during the hotter weather.

I for one can say I was extremely influenced by what I read online/what people “I followed” were suggesting/promoting when I first became a parent. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing really. I was overwhelmingly winging it.

Seeing others portray their success and/or confidence in what they were doing with their newborns/babies acted like a glimmer of hope for me in the midst of my sleepless nights and nosedive into motherhood. I clutched onto lots of things without questioning the need for them, if what I was experiencing was even a problem and if I was asking too much of myself and my newborn/baby? 

I think one of the toughest parts of becoming a mum for me has been the passing judgment, constant giving of opinions and questioning how I am raising my child. Don’t get me wrong, the scales are almost balanced with love, support, praise and encouragement however it would be nicer if the good, outweighed the not so good more.

As a society, we have been raised to pass opinion, give our take on things (even when not asked - I have been guilty of this at times and am actively trying to do better) and not be so shy about judging others choices. This all makes it quite hard when you decide or realise this is not quite okay with you and you want to be different and expect different.

It’s officially holiday season (please tell the UK passport office this and hurray up and send Clyde’s passport). Travelling with a baby can be both exciting and nerve wracking so to help with this, I’m sharing some of my top tips for enjoying your holidays with your baby.

Plan in advance where possible

• Think about travelling time and try to work naps around this. Use motion to your advantage and take a sling/pram with you if you can.

• Add shorter nap to take the edge off things is better than no nap at all. Also focus on your arrival time as if possible, you want to have enough time when you arrive to unwind before bedtime.