I am a midwife.... I know what I am doing when it comes to kids. Right?!!
Wrong! Never once did I picture motherhood to look like those early months with my first child. I spent hours shushing and patting. Hours in a lonely, dark room. I survived on little sleep and spent my day chomping chocolate cookies, immersed in binge watching Downton Abbey. I was simply trying to survive the exhaustion of life with a new baby.
“A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours of lost sleep for parents in the first year”
(The national sleep research project, 2000)
I lost what was “normal”.
Jeez is there even a “normal”!?
When you are sleep deprived you totally lose perspective and all coping mechanisms. I was feeling so flat but it is not my personality to let things break me. I knew I had to do something, I needed help. Sleep consultants weren't a thing in my circle of mums. Instead I hopped on a plane to England seeking my mum’s support. I don’t know where I would be without her.
I sleep coached my baby because I had not one fibre of energy left to cope. I was at breaking point; emotionally, physically, in my marriage. I can honestly say it was the best thing I EVER did. My marriage was better for it, my sanity resurfaced and my baby slept!
It is bloody hard being a parent.
Way harder than I ever anticipated. In today’s society, we forget to congratulate each other on how bloody awesome we are! We not only MAKE a HUMAN (phenomenal statement right there!) but we manage to keep them alive and thriving! Nowadays parents are so hard on themselves. Social pressures are way too high and our expectations on ourselves are extraordinary. People (or is that just me) are also hesitant to ask for help. Why!?
The old proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” is so true. Nowadays we move away from the support that is central to raising children. Help is one thing you need with a new baby, whether it’s your first or fourth. To ask for help isn’t to admit you are failing. It is showing you are human and can only endure so much. My mum was my saviour. She fed me, supported me and gave the shoulder to cry on I needed.
This was my motivation for setting up a sleep business. To be the support that mums need. I needed it and want to make others realise they are not alone and there IS something that can be done.
Sleep deprivation is torture. Tessa Gow is a midwife and certified sleep consultant working with families across the globe. She offers nurturing methods with lasting results. Let her be the support and guidance you need to get through this. On the other side of a consultation with Enhance Sleep is rested, functioning families. Take the first step towards healthy sleep by contacting me today.
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