If you’ve been a Baby Sleep Site® reader for a while, then you’re probably familiar with our Family Features series. From time to time, we like to bring you in-depth stories of families who are sleeping peacefully now, thanks to our personalized sleep consulting plans, Well, to say the response was overwhelmingly positive would be putting it mildly. 😉 Many of our readers let us know that they loved hearing stories about real families solving their sleep problems. And so, in the spirit of giving our readers what they want — the Family Features are still going strong!
Today, we are presenting a truly wonderful story. And it comes to us all the way from Bulgaria (because baby sleep problems do not discriminate)! Meet Gerry and her adorable little girl, Yvette. (Seriously, look at that little face – so sweet!) Gerry came to The Baby Sleep Site® for help when Yvette was 10 months old. At that time, Yvette was still breastfeeding every 2 hours, around the clock. Gerry was understandably exhausted! But, with the help of Nicole and Shaye, Gerry was able to improve Yvette’s sleep while maintaining her breastfeeding goals. It was a big win for everyone!
Here’s Gerry’s story…
The Baby Sleep Site®: Hi, Gerry! Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about your situation when you first approached us for baby sleep help.
Gerry: “Before I got help from The Baby Sleep Site®, my daughter was 10 months old and was still breastfeeding every 2 hours, day and night. She was also waking every 40-90 minutes throughout the night, like an [automatic] clock! Back then, there were many days when she wouldn’t nap at all, or would just take two or three 15-minute naps for the entire day. And even then, she would nap only in my arms or while resting in the sling. Back then, I would put her to sleep often after 10 p.m., and she would fall asleep only while breastfeeding or being rocked for an hour. As a result of all this, I had a breakdown. I was so exhausted.”
The Baby Sleep Site: Oh, Gerry. 🙁 I’m so sorry you went through this! No wonder you fell apart; 10 months without a full night’s sleep will break anyone! You must have felt like you were at your wit’s end – and like you were so alone.
Gerry: “I did. Many people said, ‘This too shall pass’, and that I just had to ride it out and wait until Yvette’s second birthday when all babies finally start sleeping well. We even took our daughter to three different doctors, and after all the blood tests and examinations, they just shrugged their shoulders and told me that there was no physical reason why she should be waking so often and sleeping so little. In fact, one doctor actually suggested that we treat Yvette with a medicine with sedating effect in order to achieve better sleep, even though he agreed that she was perfectly healthy. Some people, including this doctor, blamed my breast milk for Yvette’s sleeplessness. But I didn’t want to medicate my baby, and I didn’t want to stop breastfeeding.”
The Baby Sleep Site: WOW. This probably made you feel even worse, right? Not only are you hearing from three different medical professionals that there’s no reason for your daughter’s sleeplessness, you are also being made to feel like her constant waking might actually be your fault!
Gerry: “Yes! As a final resort, I turned to Google, and asked, ‘What to do when a baby wakes every 40 minutes at night?’ That’s how I landed on the Baby Sleep Site®. After reading a few blog posts, I purchased a Personalized Sleep Plan®.”
The Baby Sleep Site: Woohoo! I’ll bet you were excited to finally take steps towards solving Yvette’s sleep problems once and for all. 🙂 Tell us a little bit about how your consultation started, Gerry.
Gerry: “I received my plan, and I was so happy to see that the strategies Shaye laid out to solve my daughter’s sleep problems were simple and divided into ‘baby steps.’ I especially loved the ‘Day By Day’ section! It was also great that Shaye explained the reasoning behind each method. And I really loved that The Baby Sleep Site® does treat every family according to their specific situation and needs.”
The Baby Sleep Site: Yes! We are so committed to that idea, that there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all sleep training. Okay, now because I know our readers will be curious, I need to ask… How did things go once you started implementing the plan?
Gerry: “With Shaye’s help, our beloved baby finally understood that sleeping actually feels good – and now she wakes up happy! Within a few weeks,Yvette decreased the night wakings from around ten per night to less than
three. Her naps lengthened, and for the first time, she napped for more than 35-40 minutes. And through it all, I kept on breastfeeding – something Shaye encouraged me to continue doing! As a result of getting the sleep she needed, Yvette became a much happier baby, and I finally felt myself coming back to my senses. This may sound extreme, but I really feel that Shaye’s understanding, and the Personalized Sleep Plan she prepared for us, saved our lives.”
three. Her naps lengthened, and for the first time, she napped for more than 35-40 minutes. And through it all, I kept on breastfeeding – something Shaye encouraged me to continue doing! As a result of getting the sleep she needed, Yvette became a much happier baby, and I finally felt myself coming back to my senses. This may sound extreme, but I really feel that Shaye’s understanding, and the Personalized Sleep Plan she prepared for us, saved our lives.”The Baby Sleep Site: We get it – getting that plan in your e-mail inbox really does feel like you are being thrown a lifeline, doesn’t it? Gerry, we couldn’t be happier for you. It sounds like you and Yvette are finally (finally!) getting the sleep you need. And because of that, your quality of life sounds much better!
Gerry: “That’s right. Yvette is 18 months now, and thanks to Shaye and Nicole’s priceless help, she has established healthy sleep habits and we all cherish the moments before bedtime and naptime. The team at The Baby Sleep Site gave us a real miracle!”
The Baby Sleep Site: Honestly, stories like yours make the hard work worth it! Okay, Gerry, before we wrap up this interview – any last words for our readers?
Gerry: “I can’t end without saying one more thank you! Thank you again, Shaye and Nicole, for your knowledge, support, and understanding! We all learned to sleep better at home thanks to your guidance. Keep on doing miracles for all the tired families in need!”
There you have it, readers. Even if your 10 month old baby is waking every 2 hours around the clock, and nursing for less than 30 minutes at a time, even if your baby has to be fed and held and rocked to sleep all the time – you can solve your little one’s sleep problems! Gerry was facing some big sleep challenges! With the help of The Baby Sleep Site® (and through lots of hard work on her part), Gerry helped Yvette overcome her sleep associations and learn to fall sleep on her own.
And you can do the same. Really! In fact, our trained sleep consultants are ready and waiting to help you do just that. So why not take the first step today, and begin your journey to better sleep as early as tonight?
Click here to learn how you can get one-on-one help from a trained sleep consultant like Shaye.
If you’d like to read more success stories before getting started, please check out Ilana’s story HERE and about Jennifer’s journey HERE!
Want to know more about how our system of personalized help works? Check out our FAQ page here, and get answers.
My son will make 5 months old this week. Before the 4 month regression hit he was usually waking 1-2 times a night. He would usually do a 4-6 hour stretch then every three hours after he would wake to eat. We slept train him a week after the regressiong hit because we didn’t know what else to do. He can put himself to sleep on his own without a pacifier. Even after sleep training he never slept through the night. He now wakes up every 2 hours and the most he will give us for that first stretch is 3 hours now. We tried spoon feeding him rice cereal about a week ago because we though that would help his sleep but it didn’t. We really think he is waking every two hours to eat because he is hungry since he knows how to put himself to sleep. Any thoughts? Do you really think it’s hunger? If so, do we try slowly cutting out night feedings?
Hi Katelyn,
Thank you for visiting our sleep little village! I’m so sorry to hear that you’re struggling with night wakings. It is normal for a 5 month-old to still wake to eat 2-3 times a night to eat, especially if you’re nursing. You might like our chart on night feedings by age here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/baby-night-feedings-age-chart/
I hope this will help, but please let us know if we can help further, and good luck!
My son is turning 9 months soon. He wakes every 45 mins to hour n half and will only fall asleep if nursed every night. He will cry hysterically if I rock him or pat him to sleep. He also sleeps less than an hour each naps and takes 2-3 naps. He hates to be left alone in a room. I haven’t gotten a good sleep for over 12 months now. Please help!
@Sheril I’m so sorry to hear you’re having a hard time with your 9 month old. 🙁 You’re not alone and we’d be happy to help! It sounds like you have several sleep challenges you’re dealing with including frequent night waking, short naps, and crying when it’s time to sleep. It would be great to talk with you in more detail about your sleep goals and help you come up with a plan to help your son sleep better. You will BOTH be happier, I’m sure! If you’re interested, talking with a sleep consultant would give you the steps you need to have a rested night. Learn more here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/services Hang in there and we look forward to getting to know you better!
@ Sandya – absolutely! This this is the beauty of using our personalized services vs. trying to do it on your own – because you will work one-on-one with a consultant, who can take your unique schedule into account, you will get a customized plan of action that will work within the context of your existing schedule. I would definitely encourage you to pursue this, Sandya!! Could be just the solution you need 🙂
You can see personalized consulting info here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/ Best of luck to you! 🙂
@ danche – oh no! You must be TIRED. 🙁 Have you thought about getting personalized help? I’d say that’s definitely the way to go, given that you have two children who need sleep help. This is likely more than you can tackle on your own.
Personalized service info is here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/ Feel free to comment again, if you have further questions. Best of luck to you, danche! Hang in there!! 🙂
ah tell me about tired…we have 2.5 years old and still wakes up in 3 hours, screeming. Plus we have 6 months old waiking up too. We are desperate.
I have got a one yearold , i have got sleep problems with him t, wakes up about 6 times at
night! i would love to sign up for the programme, but I work as a
nurse at the hospital and i do different shifts in a week, just
wondering would u be still able to help me and provide day to day,
step by step measures to help me?
@ Jules Ellingson — I can’t say for sure which plan Gerry purchased, but oh no on your plan not working as well as you’d hoped! Did you contact your sleep consultant about that? You can also e-mail contact (at) babysleepsite (dot) com and air your concerns there. Our customer service team is fantastic and will do what needs to be done to make it right. 🙂
@ Jane — oh, you must be so tired!!! Rest assured that this is a problem that can be fixed. By 10 months, a baby no longer needs to nurse around the clock like this. With the help of a consultant, you definitely can wean your little one away from the feeding associations and help her sleep better. If you’re ready to start, you can see our complete list of consultation packages here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
Hope this helps, Jane!
I’m exhausted too, my baby sound just like the baby in the story, she is also 10months old breast feeding every 2 hours!
I would love to know what plan Gerry got. Her situations sounds identical to mine and I didn’t get great results with the plan given to me. sniff. still sleepless.