Earlier this week, I was on the phone with a potential client. I asked her to tell me how she typically gets her daughter to sleep and she hesitated and gave a nervous laugh. “I know you are going to cringe at this, but……” I immediately stopped her and let out my semi-ghetto, “Girrrrrrl, there is nothing that makes me cringe because I’ve likely done them all myself” speech.
Most of my clients are surprised to hear that I used to co-sleep, nurse my girls to sleep, wake up multiple times each night to pop pacifiers back into little mouths, and so on. I have made more mistakes than I can ever dream to count in the parenthood process and that’s why I want to have this conversation with you. I am not here to judge any parenting styles or shake my finger at any of the “frowned upon” sleep strategies that you may be using……because I have done them all myself. I have used this phrase so many times with my clients that it has kind of become my business tagline:
“If it’s not a problem for YOU, then it’s NOT a problem.”
I’ve had several people tell me that this phrase is likely not “helping” my business any as I am basically “driving my clients away and encouraging them to partake in the ‘frowned upon’ sleep strategies.” My response to them is that I am a realist and I know first-hand that there is nothing more beautiful than having a baby fall asleep in your arms, as you quietly sing “Bye-Bye Miss American Pie”, and inhale the scent of baby shampoo on those soft little heads. I don’t want to deprive any parent of that experience, even if it means missing out on a few paying clients.
All of the strategies that I used with my girls when they were newborns were not what my colleagues and I would consider ideal; however, they worked for me for a while. Unfortunately, I started to feel the exhaustion kick in after my first child was 4-months old and I knew I couldn’t keep up with our current sleep situation. The sleep deprivation started wreaking havoc on my mood and I was less than pleasant to be around. When people hit this stage, that’s when “It’s now a Problem for You” and you need to contact me.
So here is my proposal……. If you are the proactive type and want the inside scoop on how you can get your newborn off on the right track, then check out my Prenatal/Newborn Sleep Package (also makes a great baby shower gift). I’ll educate you on your newborn’s sleep needs and give your strategies that will help your little one sleep through the night sooner. Otherwise, snuggle that baby as much as you want and call me once your sweetie hits 4-months old and we will begin the training process there. You and your child both deserve to enjoy the snuggles, but you also deserve to get good rest.
