Mother of two, Hayley Fowler, was “at the end of her tether” when she decided to take her 11-month-old son to sleep school.
Her first child, Lily, was a dream sleeper which set up some false expectations about baby number two.
“I thought we had every sort of technique down pat,” she said. But the second-time-mum felt she had “lost her way”.
Jack would wake up three or four times during the night and usually between 3.30am and 4.30am he would wake up again as if he was ready for the day to begin.
“I just got to the point where I got really low and resented going into his bedroom. I didn’t want to pick him up in bed, didn’t want to be near him. I decided that I need to go get some help,” said Fowler.
Jack is now a much happier baby throughout the day. Image supplied.
The 38-year-old mother was "barely functioning" when she booked in to Tresillian - an inpatient sleep school service that aims to help mothers get back on track.
"You have nothing left in the tank. You are barely functioning. These women are there to pick you up and they offer an amazing service.
"As long as you give yourself completely to them and are open to what they suggest, then it is going to be a service that will work for you. If you go in open minded it will work for you, if you go in closed minded or being a bit sensitive, then it is not going to work."
Top Comments
Sleep deprivation can be horrible and I completely understand the overwhelming need for your baby to sleep but there are gentler methods than this. The sentence "if I cry mummy is not going to come straight in" is particularly concerning.
I'm freaked out about my next baby reading these stories. Our 18 month old has slept through the night from day one. She did wake up - once - at 3.30am when she was about four months old.
I'm not saying this to brag. I have no idea why she's such a good sleeper. I'm convinced we just got incredibly lucky and number two will be a nightmare when it comes to sleep. I'm bracing myself for it.