More Than Sleep

We get asked this one all the time.  As Registered Nurses, having merely one method does not align with how we were trained in University to utilize the nursing process.

The Nursing Process is defined as, a “systematic approach to care using the fundamental principles of critical thinking, client-centered approaches to treatment, goal-oriented tasks, evidence-based practice (EDP) recommendations, and nursing intuition.  Holistic and scientific postulates are integrated to provide the basis for compassionate, quality-based care” (*1).  

Simply put, we will assess your child using our nursing training to determine the best way to help your family reach their goals, walking beside you all the way.  You can choose us with confidence, knowing you have picked the most qualified resource to support your family’s journey.

*1 – (Toney-Butler TJ, Thayer JM. Nursing Process. [Updated 2020 Jul 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499937/)

No, we don’t. There are many different definitions of “cry it out”, and we see it most commonly defined as deciding your child is going to sleep, putting them in their sleep space, and essentially seeing them in the morning. We are not that.

At The Mama Coach, we are committed to ensuring your child is ready to learn healthy sleep hygiene; utilizing a solution that the entire family unit feels good about.  In our programming, we use the analogy of a “mountain of sleep props” — sleep props are anything you are giving your child (i.e. soother) or doing with your child (i.e. rocking, bouncing, nursing, etc.) to help them get back to sleep when they wake between sleep cycles.  

We don’t believe in “ripping the bandaid off” type of methods, where you “get rid of” multiple sleep props all at once.  As Registered Nurses, we can help your child adapt to independent sleep skills, one supported step at a time.

The science of sleep is a very complex process that is interwoven with other aspects of your child’s wellbeing — sleep does not function independently.  Since there are many pieces to this complex sleep puzzle, we will assess the entire picture, create a customized solution, and ensure the process is as easy as possible for your family.

At The Mama Coach, we are all Registered Nurses and as such have a regulatory licensing body which ensures compliance to a standard of practice, code of ethics and conduct, as well as evidence informed care.  Our dedication and commitment to our profession, ensures we provide you with excellent nursing care as part of our private practice.  At The Mama Coach, we build tailored approaches for your unique child based on our assessment (through our lens as Registered Nurses), therefore, your experience with us will be incomparable to other companies who offer sleep training.

There is no magic formula when it comes to teaching sleep.  At The Mama Coach, we prefer to call it “sleep learning”, because it is a skill that your child will learn and carry with them into adulthood.  Research shows that children with poor sleep skills turn into adults with poor sleep skills.  Thankfully the opposite is also true!  

My More Than Sleep Packages typically start at 3 months old. My Newborn Packages  help you build a developmentally appropriate routine and schedule for your child (it’s variable with a newborn), as well as take a good look at feeding — often feeding issues are the reason behind newborn sleep struggles.  Between three and four months of age, your newborn will start to cycle through sleep differently — this is a great time to start working on building healthy sleep habits.  

Our programs do not use an all or nothing approach.  We encourage teaching your child how to listen to their body — feed when they’re hungry and sleep when they’re tired.  Often this means keeping feeds overnight and following your child’s lead.

Possibly, it is hard to say without looking at the entire 24-hour picture.  Sleep usually improves in succession:

• Bedtime clicks first 
• Then overnight habits become more solid
• Naps take shape next
• Early mornings are the last thing to fall into place

Yes! If you are local to me you may add bedtime support to any package. 

Yes, you can work on sleep skills with your child wherever you choose.  At The Mama Coach, we will help you build an optimal sleep environment, whether in their own room or yours.  Is your child going to share a room with an older sibling?  We can provide a plan and guidance to make the transition smooth for everyone involved.

Not likely, however, we will provide tools and suggestions to move through this process with the least amount of stress for your entire family.  The thought of multiple kids awake overnight (without reason) is completely overwhelming, and we will do everything to ensure this does not happen.

No!  We like to think about the process as sleep learning, not sleep training.  This is a new skill your child is learning, and it does not have to be “all or nothing”.  You can make progress towards your goals by getting out and about during the day — in fact, we encourage it.  Thinking about only your child’s sleep all day and night can be really stressful.  There is a balance to be found, and we will walk beside you to find it. We do recommend avoiding overnight travel during your sleep plan implementation.

Yes!  At The Mama Coach, our programming teaches how to read your child’s cues.  This helps your child learn to feed when they are hungry, and sleep when they are tired.

No, not when you use a Mama Coach to help you!  As Registered Nurses and lactation specialists, we do an in depth feeding assessment with each child, to ensure there are no underlying issues which could cause challenges down the road.  As well, we take your feeding journey to-date and goals into consideration when building your sleep plan.  We do not encourage you to “drop feeds” cold turkey, instead we suggest a gradual process when teaching your child to feed when they’re hungry and sleep when they’re tired.

Feeding and sleep go hand-in-hand… let us address both!

We know that having multiples can be expensive.  At The Mama Coach, we are proud to help with multiples for the same price as one child.  We also offer discounts for siblings, if you want to give the gift of sleep to the whole family.

We strongly encourage partners to work together as they teach healthy sleep habits — providing a unified front to your child ensures consistency, which is paramount to your success.  We will discuss all of this during the assessment and consultation part of the package.  At The Mama Coach, we know that every family is unique, which is why we don’t utilize a one-size-fits-all approach.  We will help find a sleep solution that the whole family feels good about.

Yes!  Consistency is the most important part of teaching healthy sleep habits, which we will discuss during the assessment and consultation part of the package.

At The Mama Coach, we understand how all consuming parenting on your own can be.  We want you to know that you are exactly what your child needs!  Finding healthy sleep for the whole family will take a huge burden off your shoulders, and we would love to be a part of that process.  The gift of sleep is truly life changing.